Note: This crossover fanfiction was made purely for fun. Only Dozerfleet characters were authorized for this use officially. All other properties mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners. None of the product placements were paid for, but are included as free advertising done for comedic purposes.

CHAPTER 1: ‚ÄúMultiversal Potential‚ÄĚ
It was the beginning of a cool, dry day in Bozeman. Members of the board at the scientific research juggernaut of a company known as HanomCorp‚ÄĒsmall, yet seemingly unstoppable‚ÄĒwere already in a meeting room for a presentation that current owner Fred Hanom‚ÄĒson of the company‚Äôs founder‚ÄĒwould unveil as their most cutting edge technology yet.

After a rocky encounter in Tokyo following interference of the dreaded creatures known as the Gwirdons, and their monster Seirsionnach, terms had been formed for a merger with Japanese rival firm Sorisenshi. The future was Hanom-Sorisenshi, and this new device about to be revealed could be the prototype of a new wave of exploration not previously autonomously possible: multiversal.

The presentation narrative soon began, after some meeting and deliberations in the conference room:We here at HanomCorp always strive to be the source of the future; but this next leap may require us to take a look at the past‚Ä¶

Some swear it is history, others call it legend, still others stammer hysterically that it is only a myth. We‚Äôre not here to get into their motives, which have been covered elsewhere. So let‚Äôs move on.

Some time after the failure that was the Tower of Babel, Nimrod made a deal with the forces of darkness to punish those nations that deserted him. Six powerful beings were created, one kept hidden. The first five of these beasts ravaged much of the world, seeking to slay all who forsook Globalism. One unlikely hero was chosen to slay these devil-beasts: Abrujan. He was given a trinket from Heaven called the Abdygalis, to have power to match those of his adversaries. At first, it seemed he won. But Nimrod wasn‚Äôt done. The final beast was revealed of Nimrod‚Äôs beast army, and this creature sought to sneak up on Abrujan while he was in a drunken stupor, having grown careless and apathetic about duty and faith. Abrujan was snapped back to his faith and senses, but not before being seriously wounded. He used the Abdygalis to heal himself, but damaged its integrity in the process.

He finally defeated the sixth beast‚ÄĒbut at the cost of his own life, and the Abdygalis being shattered. Nimrod sought to recover the shards and rebuild the Abdygalis for his own use‚Ä¶but it was too late. The pieces became the Barely Explicable Phenomena, and scattered to the stars. It is unknown exactly how many of these came to exist‚ÄĒor what forms they all took. Only some of these Abdygalan pieces have known‚ÄĒyet mostly forgotten‚ÄĒhistory. The Marlquaan. The EccentriaCore. The XomiaFaeCore. These are known. How many more‚Ä¶remain a mystery.

Some time after what is believed by some scholars to be the time when the Ascension of Christ took place, astronomers tracking the Barely Explicable Phenomena of the Abdygalis noticed that some of the pieces were no longer detectable. Theories abounded, yet the continued power hunger of Mankind to have Caesar be God suggests that simply casting the Abdygalis into space was not enough.

It is believed that a few years after the death of Muhammad, who expressed interest in finding a way to regain the shards of the Abdygalis for his own plans of conquest, all except for the EccentriaCore and one other energy, the Percolation Wave, became undetectable.

The EccentriaCore, according to the lost civilizations whose descendants are hiding among us, merged with the planet Cortascius. The Cortascians devised their own framework within the EccentriaCore that bound itself to the core of their planet, called the Tapestry. Efforts to tap into the Tapestry have yielded some impressive results for quantum storage and even material repair. It is believed that the Tapestry may even power the mysterious knight that some have seen hiding in the forests outside of Bozeman, defending the city from an increasing wave of bizarre threats that appear to be from another time.

However, there have been an increase in incidents of strangers to our world speaking of worlds where the other phenomena may have vanished too. They seem almost identical to us, yet are not us. Strange as it may seem, the prevailing theory is that to stop the next Nimrod from ever succeeding in the original‚Äôs evil plans‚Ä¶reality itself was split apart!

Many Earths, longing to become one again. Post 7th-century, each of these worlds appears to have developed similar-yet-different paths of history. All who existed before appear as multiversal singularities, making cultures and religions on all Earths very similar.

There is talk of a reality where the missing worlds of Phaleel and Metheel have vanished to. Where the Marlquaan and Percolation Wave alone are known. Still another speaks of the XomiaFaeCore, merged with the core of the planet Xomia. That world is even believed to have pocket dimensions, with an untold number of other realities. Only the Percolation Wave appears to be a consistent across these, allowing some to occasionally cross over.

In its stable state, the Wave rarely abducts anyone. Destabilized, its rhyme and reason can be difficult to predict. But when a Percolation Event does occur, will we be ready? What destabilizes it? Many things are believed to be capable of this. Much as visitors from other planets can make trouble, or may need accommodation, visitors from other realities may require the same. Will society be ready for them, even as it struggles with its own identity?

In an alternate reality we are dubbing the ‚ÄúDromedeverse,‚ÄĚ two female scientists operating out of a women‚Äôs prison have somehow figured out how to develop devices that would allow for voluntary interversal travel, a tool that could unlock countless possibilities moving forward. These devices are small, being dubbed ‚ÄúPercolation Wands.‚ÄĚ These wands are currently only used under extenuating circumstances, as the locals fear their power in the wrong hands.

Such power could open up numerous military business opportunities for Hanom-Sorisenshi in the future. But it would be risky. Since we cannot patent our own wands, nor have wand-size devices, we‚Äôre now developing the PercoDome as a‚Ä¶somewhat larger means of opening up portals via the Wave. Security would have to be intense. While this may be the tool to unite reality into a cohesive whole again, there would undoubtedly be those seeking it for malicious purposes.

As the presentation came to a close, board members began cheering. Hanom knew he was on the right road to gaining approval for the start of talks on bids for military contracts for the PercoDome. Yet, he also felt an uncomfortable sense that the Gwirdons were about to try something. They had upped their ante on efforts to steal his inventions - to serve King Gwirmalesh‚Äôs very Nimrod-like goals. Dr. Fred J. Hanom was fortunate to have Prince Volkonir of Cortascius on his side‚ÄĒeven if he had to go to the same lengths to help the lost prince hide his true identity that were also required to help the prince‚Äôs new friends expunge public knowledge of their criminal histories.

Only one attendee stayed behind as the crowds gathered out to handle their usual corporate responsibilities. That was Hanom‚Äôs visitor from Sorisenshi: Masato Yoneda. Recently revealed to be the Spectral Hare Samurai. The Tapestry had many Weavers. A descendant must have found work at Sorisenshi. How else could a samurai exist with the same powers as the Cortascian Elite Knights?

One of Hanom‚Äôs assistants, meanwhile, put in an order for transport of the device to a safe location. It was currently at the office; but it would require stronger, reinforced storage to keep away from Gwirmalesh.

Gary: ‚ÄúAh yes, the Mexican kid with the drug queen mother. I guess I‚Äôll just have to see if Nancy in accounting wants to have a night at Audrey‚Äôs over on Peach.‚ÄĚ

Vanessa: ‚ÄúShe‚Äôs been eyeing you for quite some time. Don‚Äôt do anything explicitly creepy, and she just might give you a chance.‚Äú

Gary: ‚ÄúSo, what‚Äôs Hanom afraid I‚Äôm gonna lose today?‚ÄĚ

Vanessa: ‚ÄúEver hear of the PercoDome?‚ÄĚ

Gary: ‚ÄúNo, but it sounds dangerous. Hold on one second.

Hey! Mudo! Fetch me a few donuts, would ya? No, I don‚Äôt care when you get back. But if it‚Äôs two hours or more, I‚Äôm gonna say you took the rest of the day off. I pay you peanuts anyway, right? We got a PercoDome thingy to store! We gotta be special careful with this one. Those ‚Äėsquiter creeps will probably start WWIII to get their hands on this one! Fetch me a donut! Pronto!

Sorry, Nessie! The guy barely speaks English. More like Gaelic with a bad Spanish accent. I can‚Äôt figure these weirdos out. They just work for me!‚ÄĚ

Vanessa: ‚ÄúDo what you gotta do, Gary.‚ÄĚ

Gary: ‚ÄúCareful. I might‚Ä¶interpret that.‚ÄĚ

Vanessa: ‚ÄúI‚Äôm sure you will.‚ÄĚ

Meanwhile, in the conference room, Hanom was waiting for the transport team to load things up downstairs. Masato stared uncomfortably at the PercoDome, convinced of the worst.

Hanom: ‚ÄúI know what you‚Äôre thinking, Masato. This thing will either be our future, or just another toy for Gwirmalesh to play with.‚ÄĚ

Masato: ‚ÄúThe worst kind of toy. It would make me and Vinny irrelevant to his plans!‚ÄĚ

Hanom: ‚ÄúA very understood risk. Which is why I‚Äôd like you to accompany Carlos; at least until your flight back to Tokyo.

Vinny and Kayla have to spend some time attending classes at the university. Kayla to blend in and have the college life Hoshijo and others deprived her of, and Vinny to integrate better into society. At least...until I can restore his kingdom.‚ÄĚ

Masato: ‚ÄúUnderstood, good sir. It would calm my worries a little, to guard this device until we know it will be safe. One Cortascian warrior may not be enough, if this thing does what you say it will do. There is no telling how badly Gwirmalesh will want it.‚ÄĚ

Hanom: ‚ÄúIndeed. If I didn‚Äôt need to spread everyone so thin, I‚Äôd have Vinny and Kayla here to help you. I‚Äôd raise Lucy from the dead if I could. Vinny wouldn‚Äôt mind a future step-daughter at all. And I know nothing would make Kayla happier than to have her child alive and well again. But we can only play God sometimes. We can‚Äôt actually be him.‚Äú

Masato: ‚ÄúI would also like to apologize for back in Tokyo.‚ÄĚ

Hanom: ‚ÄúEditrab is his own worst enemy. There‚Äôs no way you could have known he wasn‚Äôt still a threat. When Wontisha died, and Morlikus became too busy being king to have much time for Vinny, Silnya took Vinny under her wing. She became a surrogate mother of sorts to him. He views her as his mother. She is Editrab‚Äôs actual mother. Sibling rivalry is inevitable, when the biological heir feels threatened by a royal adoption. Even if it‚Äôs not a legal one.‚ÄĚ

Masato: ‚ÄúVinny is trying to reach a point when he no longer needs to be adopted out.‚ÄĚ

Hanom: ‚ÄúI am just one more step in his path to true independence. And I suspect he will give Kayla what she has always deserved too.‚ÄĚ

Masato: ‚ÄúSo what is the solution to Editrab?‚ÄĚ

Hanom: ‚ÄúWe have to find Silnya, break her spell, and revive her‚Ä¶for whatever time she may have left. Only she can reconcile the two not-quite brothers, and redeem Tarantrum. The family needs to sort out their differences, and forgive each other. They are considering it. But without her, Editrab will always resent the prince to a degree. He feels he was robbed. Only now he knows he cannot trust Gwirmalesh either.

He‚Äôs a pitiful creature, Editrab. Betrayed by both kingdoms. The prince he hates being one of his only remaining friends in the entire universe.‚ÄĚ

Masato: ‚ÄúSeirsionnach spoke of having cousins who would avenge him. I have faced many monsters as Samurai GŇćsutousagi. That aku-kitsune was one of the worst! I am only fortunate that after the Editrab mess, Vinny would still help me defeat such a thing.‚ÄĚ

Hanom: ‚ÄúIf you need help after Vinny‚Äôs classes are over, I will contact him. I suspect that will be too soon for comfort.‚ÄĚ

Masato: ‚ÄúUnderstood. If this thing can contact the pocket dimensions of the Dromedeverse; I am fearful we will see things far worse than what Gwirmalesh can make on his own.‚ÄĚ

Hanom: ‚ÄúI don‚Äôt doubt that. But my company doesn‚Äôt function on thwarting science in the name of safety. If we screw up, the bureaucracy will simply keep us from doing that specific thing again. And will make it illegal for anyone else to do it.‚Äú

Masato: ‚ÄúYou trust them too much.‚ÄĚ

Hanom: ‚ÄúValid point.‚ÄĚ

Carlos Modi was happy to have his job. Not so thrilled about the Gwirdons, or the constant security threats. But he had friends. He had a church nearby that he agreed with. He had a steady job. He had adventure. And second-most-importantly to him: he was finally able to make his mother proud. The Modi crime operation would most likely die with her. He had found a superior legacy, to take the family name in a legitimate direction far better than any his druglord father and grandfather ever could have. He had forged for the Modi name a better destiny than the one it had been handed in Mexico.

Even so‚Ä¶the threats of attack from Gwirmalesh were getting increasingly desperate. Volkonir had to work harder and harder to protect Bozeman, with Carlos feeling less and less like he was making a true impact. Treaders he could handle. But the monsters were getting tougher ‚Äď and meaner!

Hanom: ‚ÄúCarlos, do you read?‚ÄĚ

Carlos: ‚ÄúI‚Äôm in the warehouse, boss.‚ÄĚ

Hanom: ‚ÄúMasato will be joining you soon. He just needs a change of clothes.‚ÄĚ

Carlos: ‚ÄúHopefully not shimmery-shiny clothes!‚ÄĚ

Hanom: ‚ÄúNot yet. But be ready. Gwirmalesh is psychic lately, it seems. I still haven‚Äôt figured out how he has managed to plant a mole in the company. But I know there is one.‚ÄĚ

Carlos: ‚ÄúI‚Äôm locked and loaded. I wanna put one right between Hiktomoph‚Äôs eyes!‚ÄĚ

Hanom: ‚ÄúSatisfying as that may be, you may need to be willing to call the police for backup on this one if something goes more wrong than usual. Use discretion.‚ÄĚ

Carlos: ‚ÄúUnderstood, boss!‚ÄĚ

He could shout the rhetoric all he pleased, but Carlos was not the least bit happy about all of this. A device that could tap into the Percolation Wave itself? Voluntary travel between multiple Earths? It reeked of being a bad idea.

Masato wasted little time changing into something more street-friendly, and joined Carlos as instructed.

Carlos: ‚ÄúHey, man! Ready to squash some big green bugs?‚ÄĚ

Masato: ‚ÄúIf I have to.‚ÄĚ

Carlos: ‚ÄúHow was Panda Buffet?‚ÄĚ

Masato: ‚ÄúBetter than La Tinga. I will enjoy returning to Tokyo, to eat real food again!‚ÄĚ

The Gwirdon king beneath Chestnut Mountain quickly rallied his top aides to hold court, the mist gentle near the floor of his underground fortress. Behind the gates of Gwirmalesh's throne room, General Hiktomoph always got a feeling of the chills. He knew that his kind had to make some serious deals with devils to get to where they were. Even his hardened heart was shaken by the magnitude of evil emanating from this particular room, where the wrath that filled Gwirmalesh's heart after the death of Princess Gwantina persisted in sending off a chilling presence.

Gwirmalesh continued to stroke the Trinket of Morlikus in his hands, forever celebrating his continual revenge against the Cortascian King that had failed to stop Marzwhatti - and had therefore sealed Gwantina's fate. In their hearts, the Gwirdons' war had only begun. But word from their spy, Mudo, that the PercoDome was on its way to storage at Gary's HanomCorp warehouse filled Gwirmalesh with a sense of urgency.

Gwirmalesh: "Hiktomoph! I hope you have some troops ready to go!"

Hiktomoph: "As usual, sire, we have plenty of reserves!"

Gwirmalesh: "Excellent! This is the big one! We need to capture that PercoDome from HanomCorp Office Tower 1, before it has the chance to arrive at Gary's facility! That device would make Prince Volkonir completely irrelevant to my plans! While he's off polishing his Tapestry armor, we'll be ruling the multiverse!!!"

Mogabir: "Sire...I have word that Vinny and Kayla are still attending classes at Montana State University. If we hurry, we can snag the device before they have a chance to suit up for their jobs with Hanom."

Gwirmalesh: "How is the work coming on proving Kayla is the Wyoming Cabin Burglar, so we can put her back in prison and break the prince's heart?"

Mogabir: "Not good, sir. Hanom has good lawyers protecting her. And she's been staying out of trouble for almost a year now. Evidence keeps disappearing. And there is a statute of limitations on some things. If we can't convince a prosecutor he has a case - even if he's in our back pocket - we won't get far."

Gwirmalesh: "All the more reason we need that device! I trust your modifications to our latest asset have paid off?"

Mogabir: "I cannot speak for his mind; but his body is one of the toughest I've seen."

Gwirmalesh: "We're out of time! He'll do!"

Hiktomoph: "Who will do, sir?"

Gwirmalesh: "Follow me, and you will soon find out!"

Hiktomoph followed, as Gwirmalesh explained while leading to the chambers where the newest asset was to be found.

Gwirmalesh: "Seirsionnach fell because he attacked Tokyo conveniently at the same time that Volkonir was there! He was clever at fooling that Spectral Hare Samurai, and would've done him in if not for Volkonir's interference! He also would have had the samurai kill off Tarantrum for us, as that monster was useless. Instead, the samurai and the knight proved to be great allies. I assured Seirsionnach that if he failed, I would send one of his cousins in his place. Thanks to Mogabir, I feel this one is ready: Slaisionnach, the Throat Slasher Vampire Fox!"

Gwirmalesh: "Mogabir has been getting Slasionnach up to speed for these recent missions. Including teaching him Russian for...some reason. His venom is deadly, his sword fierce, and he can take heavy doses of punishment! He is also not as sensitive to the sun as Raccglow and Vantina were! It'd take a giant robot to take him out! And I know the prince doesn't have one!"

Hiktomoph: "I will have him steal the PercoDome directly, while I create a diversion. If Vinny really is in class yet, he'll be of no use against us. Most of HanomCorp's security staff are poorly trained for combat, and will be easy fodder for my troops."

Gwirmalesh: "And so you shall! Go forth, my army! Slaisionnach! Get that device! And have fun...killing things!"

Hikotmoph and his Treaders wasted no time descending on the HanomCorp office, being careful to use their own transporters to arrive a short ways away. They didn't wish to be tracked so easily back to Chestnut Mountain. They caught the transport and security crews completely off guard, quickly overrunning and assassinating most of them.

Hiktomoph: "Treaders! Get them! And make sure our asset gets that device!!!"

The Treaders with guns quickly found themselves offed by the sharpshooting of none other than Carlos Modi, who arrived on the scene a few seconds late and witnessed the bloodshed ensuing. Two badly-formed Treaders and a few others descended on him, but he was not about to let them get that device without a fight.

He gave pursuit after the cowardly Hiktomoph, as Hiktomoph attempted to flee, firing rounds at him.

Carlos: "Not this time, Hiktomoph!"

Hiktomoph: "EVERY time, you son of smacklords!"

Carlos: "Hey, you leave my mama out of this!"

Masato knew Carlos would not be enough to take out the garbage that had descended. It was almost time for some Spectral Hare Samurai power! However, he also knew this wasn't his native turf. The enemy had home field advantage!

Masato: "Carlos! Let Hiktomoph retreat! It means someone worse is coming! Call Hanom, and tell him to get Vinny and Kayla here!"

Kayla exited the building where she was taking a sociology class - required, but not interesting. She'd already spent a year and two months seeing ugly truth up-close and personal; and didn't need some textbook's quack theories. Her classmates' Marxist musings being spouted to whore their way to better grades were merely sickening to her ears. But what good would it do her to correct every ignorant statement she heard? She gained her patience from knowing that her faith in the truth could not be shaken - and from knowing the man that waited for her once the hour of know-nothing know-it-all self-flattery was over.

The two wasted no time rushing into each other's arms, quickly giving way to a kiss complete with licking the roofs of each other's mouths. It was every bit as much a statement of "good riddance to today!" as it was a declaration to each other of "I'm yours."

Kayla: "How was your chemistry class?"

Vinny: "I'd rather not talk about it."

Kayla: "Yeah, let's see if anything is..."

Before she could finish, she got the ringtone that was unmistakably Hanom paging her.

Vinny: "Finally! The only thing besides you and Pastor Orlington's sermons that can keep me from getting bored!"

Kayla quickly answered the phone, knowing it was probably another Gwirdon trouble-related call.

Kayla: "Hi, boss."

Hanom: "Hi, Vinny there?'

Kayla: "Yep. Treaders again?"

Hanom: "Double the usual number. No surprise. This new device can channel the Percolation Wave to contact the Divergency. Gwirmalesh wants to expand his operation to worlds that don't have Cortascian Knights to defend them, and the PercoDome might let him do that if he captures it. Masato and Carlos are getting their tails handed to them, so I'd hurry to Office 1 pronto!"

Kayla: "We're on it. But...a world-hopper machine? Really? Why not just gift-wrap him a birthday present while you're at it?"

Hanom: "Sorry. Gotta go. Investor chat meeting in an hour, and I wanna be ready for this one."

Kayla: "My transporter is charged. Good thing I don't have to worry about armor."

Vinny: "But you won't have your special pass on you if we wind up on Gary's grounds!"

Kayla (dismissive): "They're not gonna arrest me! And even if they do...you and Hanom will just come get me right away!"

Vinny: "Yeah, I suppose. Let's get going!"

Kayla had no idea what her day might hold, as the two bolted down College Street with their bikes; but she knew that spending time with Vinny was one of the only things that mattered more to her than seeing to it that Carlos was safe and that Masato could make it back to Japan in one piece. Masato could put his samurai armor on and all, but he didn't have the enhancements weaved into his address in the Tapestry yet that Vinny had! This was a job for Team Volkonir, bottom line!

Vinny: "Remember how I said I'd buy if you lost that strip poker game we played? When this is over, I promise I'll get you that Choco Taco."

Kayla: "That wasn't strip poker, it was Texas Hold'Em!"

Vinny: "Strip poker would involve steak strips?"

Kayla (embarrassed he still didn't get her joke from last week): "Some time soon, we'll play that. I promise! And you'll know what that game really means. We'll have to make sure no one else is around though."

Vinny: "I was a toy for 400 years, wandering the Earth, and I'm still learning these things?"

Kayla: "Sorry, dear; I sometimes forget how innocent you still are. It involves clothes, not steak!"

Vinny: "Whoa! Shouldn't we consider at least getting engaged first before that kind of horseplay?"

Kayla: "I'd be willing to discuss baby names with you any time, ring or not. No pressure."

Vinny: "Gwirmalesh is keeping us from our ice cream, and all you want to talk about is when we're gonna finally have sex?"

Kayla: "Gwirmalesh is about to conquer the multiverse, and your main concern is ice cream?"

It only took seconds before the regular reinforcements arrived from HanomCorp regular security, only for a newcomer to mow them down with zero effort! Slaisionnach seemed to revel in their screams of pain, as they grasped at their envenomed jugulars in a futile attempt to spare their own lives. The continued onslaught of Treaders kept Carlos and Masato busy.

Slaisionnach: "Fools! I take machine now, and truck!!!"

He wasted no time putting the machine into the back of the truck, being careless about not damaging it. As he backed out after hotwiring, he made sure to run over the bodies of those whose throats he had slashed.

Slaisionnach: "Speed bumps!!!"

It didn't take Slaisionnach long to reach the destination, as Carlos and Masato hopped in a car to give pursuit. They knew more Treaders would be waiting.

Carlos (on comms): "Vinny, man! We're in deep crap! Some Russian with dreadlocks has the PercoDome, and he ran over Jones!"

Vinny: "I'm ahead of you, on the way to Gary's! Looks like Hiktomoph's causing some trouble. I'll rendezvous with you soon. Make sure Kayla has a means to pitch in!"

The Golden Lion Cycle quickly shot out some plasma beams from its side cannons, taking out numerous Treaders as Vinny raced toward Hiktomoph.

Vinny: "I'll need a metal horse like this back on Cortascius!"

Kayla arrived via her transporter, and found Carlos there to greet her.

Carlos: "I know you don't have the permit or the list of excuses, but you'll want this gun anyway!"

Kayla: "Don't call the police unless civilian strangers show up! And if that happens, I'll get out of sight!"

The knight took a flying leap off of his bike to assault the Gwirdon general, but was caught midway by the leg! He raised Selshon in ice mode outward, to chill Hiktomoph in place. But to no avail, as Hiktomoph generated a shield of his own and tossed Prince Volkonir a safe distance away.

As all parties were distracted, Slaisionnach impulsively entered the truck's trailer and activated the machine.

Slasionnach: "I use machine to KILL THINGS!!!"

Suddenly realizing that Slaisionnach hadn't had it explained to him how the machine worked, Hiktomoph lost focus of Volkonir and instead begged Slaisionnach to back off.

Hiktomoph: "Back away, you idiot! You don't know how that thing..."

A sudden explosion blew Slaisionnach out of the truck, shaken and confused, but still little the worse for wear. The machine was badly damaged, and the truck trailer blown apart. What had just happened???

Hiktomoph retreated, knowing that he and a few other Treaders needed to fall back and be ready to fight another day. If Slasionnach were that powerful, there was no reason for Hiktomoph to still be there. As he escaped behind the bushes, Volkonir went toward the remains to see what had transpired.

Slasionnach (furious): "Ugh! I not feel so good! Who needs to die!?!?!?"

A howling, metallic sound filled the air, causing Team Volkonir and the Treaders to all look around for what was about to happen next. Whatever it was, they all knew they weren't gonna like it!

Unmistakable Percolation beams appeared next to each other by a patch of trees and bushes. Unusually, one was colored a faint purple and another was red. The third was yellow, a normal Percolation color. Were these Xeroxes, or Temps? And if they were Temps, how long were they destined to stay?

Carlos: "Aw, shoot!"

Before he could see what was about to happen next, he found himself being dragged by an opportunistic Treader. The fighting resumed immediately, preventing the heroes from learning much about their guests.

As Vinny continued mowing down Treaders with his trusty sword Selshon, the rest of Team Volkonir lent aid any way they could. Carlos finally got the best of his attacker, and rejoined his friends. The three strangers were ambivalent about what they were seeing. On the one hand, this scene before them looked awfully familiar. But from another angle...what was this?

Zack: "Aw man! Where are we this time? I was about to get something at Ernie's!"

The Treaders wasted no time attacking the three mysterious visitors, who fought back better than any of Team Volkonir thought was normal for mere civilians. Further away from his teammates for safety, Carlos noticed the three and decided to call the police. He wasn't sure where the light show went, but these three were civilians who definitely didn't belong on HanomCorp research grounds! This area was the closest HanomCorp thing to Area 51!

Carlos: "Hey, yeah! Officers...this is HanomCorp security. In the area around Gary's Warehouse, three unauthorized civilians spotted. Descriptions??? A white male, red shirt...a black male...and a female with a yellow shirt, Asian. No; I'm NOT trying to sound racist! That's what they really look like!" [beat] "Look, we got giant bugs again, and these three trespassers are gonna get murdered if they don't get out of here!" [beat] "No, we'll take care of the giant bugs! We always do!" [beat] "No, I didn't call the Orkin Man!" [hangs up phone]: "Slammit!!! These po-pos are freakin' morons!!!"

Vinny could hardly believe how many Treaders were still coming, and Slaisionnach was getting in the mood for murder again! Carlos and Kayla were both retreating, especially since a rage-fueled Slaisionnach seemed to be having trouble telling friend from foe. If he would mow down his own Treader troops for petty slights, what chance did either Carlos or Kayla stand without armor?

With Volkonir bogged down, Slaisionnach turned his attention to the one he deemed most responsible for Seirsionnach's death: Masato!

Slaisionnach: "Samurai is disgrace to Cortascian Knights!!! I kill you first!!!"

Several energy blasts and sword swings later, Masato realized that he'd need his armor to even get close to the menace without being killed!

Before the transformation was even complete, Slaisionnach was already taking his chances to knock Masato over! However, the transformation didn't cancel. Masato was very quickly back on his feet, while Jason saved Carlos from some Treaders right as Carlos ran out of bullets.

Jason: "MAN, there's a ton of these things!"

Carlos: "You're telling me!!!"

Zack and Trini headed toward the gate, where they found even more Treaders to fight.

Masato put up a fight, but Slaisionnach had at least a few dirty tricks still up his sleeve!

Slaisionnach: "Little FOOL!!! EAT LIGHTNING!!!"

The blast was agony! Masato feared his armor would retreat if he got another blast like that one soon! He couldn't afford to be sucker punched again!

Jason: "Time someone got an attitude adjustment!"

He was furious to see so many trees damaged as they broke Masato's fall. Slaisionnach was about to feel Tyrannosaurus Fury!

Slaisionnach: "Yes, very much time! For you, Red Pajama Man!!!"

Jason had never fought anyone so adept with a sword before! But he couldn't give up. However, he did begin to lose his nerve when Slaisionnach's sword was able to chip and dent the Power Sword like it was made of aluminum foil!

Jason: "No!!!!!"

A few more battle moves, and a few decapitated Treaders later, and the Power Sword had been sent retreating after being nearly destroyed by Slaisionnach's blade! Slasionnach was effortlessly able to overpower Jason, whose suit just barely defended him from that same sword! Slaisionnach caught him off guard, scratching him with claws that effortlessly pierced the bio-field armor and dug deep into his left arm, injecting venom along the way. The pain was excruciating!!!

Sparks flew in a frenzy from the Red Ranger suit, as Jason forcibly demorphed and found himself clinging for life!

Slaisionnach (giggling): "I eat you next, no?"

Masato returned, throwing shuriken at a Slaisionnach who seemed barely even hurt, while screaming at the top of his lungs:

Masato: "BURN IN THE ETERNAL ABYSS!!!"

Slaisionnnach was feeling a strange sickness in his stomach, and that he was using up his lightning too fast. All the same, he made several more failed attempts to zap the enraged Masato.

Slaisionnach: "No, Silly Rabbit! I BURN YOU!!!"

Hatred burned in both their eyes, as Carlos noticed the Treaders retreating. He looked on top the hill, and could see a rare sighting of Gwirmalesh in the distance! If only he had an extra bullet right then! But if the Treaders were retreating, it meant there was no more reason for them. Slaisionnach was angry, and could easily do the work of five whole armies of Treaders!

A bright light flashed around the homicidal maniac of a monster, and he soon vanished from the field. Masato and Carlos both knew this could only mean the worst. But they could at least check on Jason. Where were those other two? They'd have to locate them before they got in worse trouble than they were already in!

Gwirmalesh: "Slaisionnach, you fool! You have vaporized Volkonir, but made victory pointless! Now we must go back to conquering the multiverse another way! All armies, fall back!!!"

It didn't matter anymore where Slaisionnach was. Nor where Volkonir was. Without that device, and with Masato still existing, Gwirmalesh still faced an uphill battle to conquer his own native dimension - let alone worlds beyond! He had never been so disappointed by a single monster before in his life; and that was including the treacherous Tarantrum!

Carlos: "Boss, we got some super duper bad news!"

Vanessa: "I hope you're okay at least, Carlos."

Carlos: "Fine, honey. But that's not the issue."

Hanom: "Spit it out."

Carlos: "We've got visitors from another world. I didn't know at first, and called the police. One's down, the others are missing. Vinny and Kayla are also missing. The device is trash, and the monster is missing."

Hanom: "Down how?"

Carlos: "Injured bad, looks like he was clawed through his magic spandex."

Hanom: "That monster is Slaisionnach, Seirsionnach's cousin! Raped and burned villages with reckless abandon during the war. I remember Vinny mentioning to me that he feared the return of that thing. Now, it's stuck in the strangers' world, and them in ours. He damaged my machine most likely in a way that they cannot Temp back easily. I don't even want to think about what this will mean in regards to how to save our friends - and get these newcomers home!

Listen carefully, Carlos! You have to get him to base, pronto! We need to administer the antidote to Slaisionnach's venom, which Vinny taught me how to prepare! And then we need to get him to a hospital! Hurry!"

Carlos and Masato approached Jason with caution. They knew they needed to get him out of there fast.

Carlos: "Get a tourniquet made! We gotta stop the venom!"

Masato: "Venom?"

Jason: "My arm! It really hurts!!!"

Carlos: "Don't stand up! I've got a transporter on me. We're taking you to get some help! And we'll need to know who you are!"

Jason: "My name is Jason. My friends there are Zack and Trini."

Masato: "Masato. And that is Carlos. Knights of Cortascius. You?"

Jason: "Power Rangers."

Masato: "Not for long, if we can't steady this wound!"

Carlos: "This is bad, man! You're stuck in our world, and our friends Vinny and Kayla are stuck in yours! That Slaisionnach must die!"

Jason: "Wh-where are my friends?"

Masato: "Chasing down the Treaders. But these are not public grounds. They're trespassing. We gotta find them, before the police do!"

Carlos grabbed Jason, after coordinating his transporter to right outside the entrance to HanomCorp R&D's secret base. Masato used his to follow. They knew they'd have to hurry to get Jason the medical attention he needed.

The sirens soon blared inside the Command Center. Was it that three Rangers were suddenly missing? Was it that there were two strange civilians in the park that shouldn't be there? Was it another monster? All of the above?

Alpha: "Aiy yi yi! Zordon! A whole bunch of strangers suddenly appeared in the park! Why do some of them look like giant green mosquitoes??? Jason, Zack, and Trini are nowhere to be found! And LlamaDog is at large!"

Zordon: "Patience, Alpha! I will have Billy look into it. For now, we must study these other-dimensionals and learn what we can from them."

Meanwhile, things weren't going so well on the Moon Palace for Rita and her minions...

Rita: "What the-!? Finster!!! LlamaDog has to be the stupidest monster you've made yet! At least make him some weapons, and make it snappy!"

Finster: "Yes, my queen!"

Goldar: "Eh, wha? Who the Ford-truck are these newcomers?"

Rita: "The hockeystick if I know! Go down there, and find out, you moronic monkey! And report back when you know something!!!"

The Gwirdon Treaders sent to Angel Grove decided not to attack civilians until they had some idea of where they were. They were pretty sure the Percolation Wave was why. Yet, it seemed foolish for them to attack Vollkonir and Kayla in a park they were not familiar with. Instead, they scattered. This was not Bozeman!

Vinny and Kayla weren't entirely happy with where they wound up either.

Vinny: "My father warned me of the Percolation Wave. Though, I didn't think the Gwirdons would actually find a way to make us into Temps with it!"

Kayla: "Yeah. We'd...better keep a low profile. If this isn't our world, any thing we do might draw unwanted attention!"

Vinny (teasing): "So much for that poker game then."

Kayla (blushing): "Just find a romantic beach around here, buddy, and we won't even need the cards!"

Vinny: "We might regret being that desperate, darling."

Kayla: "Yeah, I know. It's just...getting where we want to go...it's not easy for me to be patient. Especially since..."

Vinny: "I don't think that's the most healthy thought pattern.‚Ä*‚Ä* Can you have some faith?"

Kayla: "I'll try. Settle for second for now?"

Vinny: "Sure. I consider that a reasonable compromise. Though...we should probably wait until we have some privacy."

Kayla: "I appreciate you going ring shopping. Yeah...Vanessa couldn't keep quiet. I'll give you time to figure out when to propose."

Vinny: "I was hoping for next week; provided work, school, and...the bugs cooperate. Even I can't wait for us to be together forever! But...I want to do things properly. We owe it to all that is! It only matters what He Who formed us destined us to be; not who else did what to us."

Kayla (remorseful): "Sorry for asking you to compromise. But look at it this way: the reward will be that much sweeter!"

Vinny: "We're on an adventure together, Kayla. It already is sweeter!"

Kayla (smiling): "Now, don't go giving me diabetes here!"

The two of them quickly stopped to give each other a kiss. The park seemed mostly empty, and they figured nobody would mind them much if they were in fact caught.

Vinny: So...where are we supposed to be, you figure? Because I'm pretty sure this is not Bozeman!"

Kayla: "I dunno. Looks like a suburb of LA to me."

Vinny: "You've been to LA?"

Kayla: "Once. When I was young. My mom took me on a trip to Hollywood the summer vacation after the Treaders messed up my entire life. The judge at my juvie hearing was a jackass. He said all I was ever destined to be was a menace. My mom wanted to cheer me up, because she could see I was still hurt by those words."

Vinny: "I would've threatened him with Selshon for that!"

Kayla: "Totally not the right circumstantial response. So, while I don't like saying this..."

Vinny: "It...was for the best I was still in that infernal stuffed toy at the time?"

Kayla: "Well, I didn't wanna say it like that..."

Vinny: "It's okay. I deserved it."

Kayla: "Well...maybe something, but, not that!"

====================================================================================Side notes:
‚Ä* Lucy is Kayla's deceased daughter, who was killed by accident by CPS agents back when they came for Lucy when Kayla was homeless and living in a park. Kayla retaliated by punching one and breaking his nose. This is why she went to prison for a year and two months. John Robuck is Lucy's father, who assaulted Kayla by jumping out of the bushes and overpowering her when she was a homeless teen. He later fell to his death off a building. Kayla rests in the knowledge that he went to Hell, and justice was served - even if he never got to go to jail for what he did to her. She kept the child, in spite the hardship this presented to her. She was homeless because the Gwirdons used their connections to ensure her juvie records never got sealed; and no one would hire her with a criminal record. (Illegal to skip school in Texas, where she lived at the time. The judge didn't care that she was abducted.) Also, her father was MIA from the War in Iraq, and her mother died of cancer. She was arrested while trying to prevent CPS from abducting Lucy, after a bad friend sold her out to CPS in retaliation because Kayla refused to smuggle drugs for the friend.

‚Ä*‚Ä* Kayla's reasoning is the same as Candi's in Ciem: Inferno. In that story, Candi's reasoning leads to her and Danny hooking up in the middle of a terrorist attack. They realize too late what's happening outside, and Candi winds up getting mistaken for one of the terrorists. It takes most of the rest of the story for Miriam to get her out of jail. Vinny is more right than he knows about warning Kayla that her justification for trying to seduce him is twisted. Both Kayla and Candi were sexual assault victims at some point in their respective lives, and both now want their new boyfriends to "cure" them of their trauma by giving them a positive experience to replace the negative one. Vinny points out to Kayla that this is irrational and ignorant thinking. Danny played along with Candi when she made the same argument, since he wasn't as smart as Vinny - and was younger and in a bigger hurry to prove himself.

Vinny and Kayla's peaceful walk through the strange park didn't last long.

LlamaDog: "Ha ha ha ha ha!!! What's this? New Rangers in town? You don't seem scared to see me! Putties! Get the girl!"

Before the two knew it, LlamaDog began firing plasma beams from his fingertips for them to dodge!

Kayla: "Right! It had to be lasers from the fingertips!"

Vinny: "Okay, so he's as dangerous as he looks stupid."

LlamaDog: "You'll pay for that remark! Both of you!"

Kayla: "You take on this creep, Vinny! I'll handle the clay cannon fodder!"

Vinny: "Will do. Golden Lion, Cortascius Defend!"

Vinny found his mogrification...a bit less potent than usual. He'd heard that the Percolation Wave often had power users use substitute power sources. Could it be that he was using an inferior substitute to the Tapestry to mogrify? And what were the side effects? Only one way to find out!

Rita: "Finsteeerrrrrrrr!!!! What was the meaning of that???"

Finster: "I...I have no idea, my queen!"

Rita: "What is Cortascius anyway? And how did that knight defeat LlamaDog in only one kick? He's now beating the snot out of Goldar! And it's only a matter of time before the Rangers get here! Even the girl with no powers is beating up the Putties just fine! I want answers!!!"

Baboo: "Sheesh, Squatt! I don't like the sound of this new visitor! He packs a mean one!"

Squatt: "Oooohh!!! I wish I could get an armor upgrade like that! I might actually get taken seriously for once!"

Finster: "If it pleases you, your majesty, I have the Super LlamaDog on standby, just in case of a moment like-"

Rita: "Send it then!"

Finster: "Right away!"

Rita: "And Squatt!!!"

Squatt: "Yes?"

Rita: "Don't ever get cake on my main dress again! I feel naked in this substitute! That dry cleaner is taking forever too!"

After slicing off one of Goldar's shoulder pads and forcing him to retreat, Volkonir found himself up against Super LlamaDog - who proved a lot harder to push around than the original! Some colorful heroes showed up to help him, after helping get Kayla away from the Super Putties that wouldn't go down as easily.

Vinny: "You guys must be local. Kayla and I are a little lost here."

Tommy: "We'll take it from here."

Vinny: "Watch yourself. This new guy isn't the same paper tiger as the previous one!"

Kim: "LlamaDog was a paper tiger? Maybe you should lend a hand here a bit longer?"

Billy: "Agreed. We still have no idea what happened to Jason, Zack, or Trini."

Tommy: "Oh man! I hate this! Fine! But we should see if Alpha can get Kayla out of here."

Kayla: "Where to?"

Billy: "Alpha. Can you lock on to Kayla and get her out of here? She's not from this dimension. But she appears to be on our side."

Alpha: "Aiy yi yi! Absolutely, Billy! But I have to activate the safety cage until we know for sure!"

Vinny: "You've evidently not heard of Selshon beams! Time you got acquainted!"

The fighting soon commenced. After about an hour of trading blows, it became obvious to Super LlamaDog that he needed something more if he were to continue holding off his four attackers. Especially that Cortascian Knight! What was he made of, that the Rangers weren't? And that sword actually hurt, while the Rangers' weapons mostly just tickled!

Vinny: "Are their puns always this bad? And I thought my enemies and their sadistic blurbs were disturbing!"

Kim: "I don't know if you've ever fought anything like this."

Vinny: "Nonsense! Raccglow looked this stupid! And Strumpule was a giant dragon. But...Gwirmalesh's monsters never get that big!"

Billy: "Alpha! We're gonna need overrides on the Mastodon and Saber Toothed Tiger to form the MegaDragonZord!"

Vinny: "While I'm here, I'll see if I can get Selshon to interlock with your Tapestry! It'd give your arsenal a boost, to say the least! Make myself useful around here!"

Tommy: "It's worth a shot! Alpha? Is that doable?"

Alpha: "I'm trying!"

Vinny: "Too bad we don't have Grinodos here. We could sure use a Master Weaver right about now!"

The Moon Palace had no idea what to expect when a sudden bright yellow light appeared and then vanished.

Slaisionnach: "Wh...where am I? I kill Red Pajama Man, and now I here?"

Rita: "What? WHO ARE YOU!?!?!?"

Slaisionnach: "Pardon intrusion. The Percolation Wave. I not sure you hear of it. It send me and countrymen to where I know not. I called Slaisionnach! For have love to slash throats of my enemies!"

Rita: "Slaisionnach? Hmm...I like the sound of that name very much! Red pajamas? You killed Jason???"

Slaisionnach: "Red Pajama Man? Easy! Spectral Hare Samurai? Tougher than I give credit. I gladly would slash throat of knight, Prince Volkonir! Pestilence to my king, Gwirmalesh! But knight has also gone to where I know not! And he take his whore with him!"

Rita: "Volkonir? Knight? You mean, the one that just destroyed my LlamaDog in only one kick???"

Slaisionnach: "Is very annoying, yes! I be glad to wreak havoc on Earth of your dimension for you, and kill other Pajama Men! I only ask you help me slash throat of knight, and his whore! And help me get home to my king after!"

Rita: "Well! If Super LlamaDog fails, I might have a job for you! Goldar!"

Goldar: "Err....yes, my queen?"

Rita: "See to it that...Slaisionnach...is made comfortable! He might just allow us to defeat those Rangers once and for all!"

Goldar (slightly jealous): "Durr....come with me!"

Slaisionnach felt that his only ticket to success now lay with appeasing his hosts. Though, he would much prefer to return to his home dimension and help Gwirmalesh seize control. But this pocket dimension seemed interesting. And if he got to kill Volkonir, all the better!

Back at the Command Center, their guest was being scanned for any evidence that this could be a trick. So far, nothing.

Alpha: "Scanners indicate nothing unusual, except that she's not from this dimension. Traces of an energy wave believed to have brought her here."

Kayla: "The Percolation Wave. I'm a Temp. I don't know how long I have before I get to go home automatically though."

Alpha: "You seem pretty okay with being in a safety cage."

Kayla: "It's a very long story. But to summarize: I've always fought for what I believed was right. Well, I've had my doubts, and some recent compromises. But...I still pretty much stay the course. Even when dirty politicians in my world disagreed, I stood by my convictions. This...is not the first time I've been in a cage. And if my enemies have their way, it won't be the last."

Zordon: "I believe she is safe to let out, provided she doesn't touch any controls."

Kayla: "Thank you for your faith in me."

Zordon: "You showed incredible bravery today. And for someone who is not a Ranger, you showed incredible fortitude against Rita's minions."

Kayla: "I may not have a mogriffer at the moment, but I'm a Cortascian Knight at heart! I have to believe that us Knights are not so different from your...Rangers, it was?"

Zordon: "Indeed. The sooner we can return you home, the better. I fear that if you and my missing Rangers switched places, they are in more trouble than they know."

Kayla: "No doubt about that! Law enforcement is pretty tough where I live! And even if they can avoid legal trouble simply for being there, Gwirmalesh's monsters are a bit more ruthless than whatever that thing was Vinny and I faced earlier! And without me and Vinny, Masato has to do everything himself! Which isn't fair. He needs to be protecting Japan. Protecting Montana is Vinny's job!"

Zordon: "We clearly have a huge dilemma on our hands. Be patient, Kayla, while Alpha and I work on contacting across the multiverse."

Much to Vinny's surprise, Selshon worked beautifully interfacing with the Dragonzord! The vehicle suddenly transformed without warning, and became the Golden Lionized Dragonzord Warrior Mode! With Super LlamaDog defeated in an explosion that had to be sent airborne to avoid destroying the entire city, Vinny and his new Ranger allies returned to the Command Center.

Kayla: "Vinny!"

The two embraced, as they often had before. Meanwhile, the other Rangers set to work on trying to take the readings off of Kayla and try to use them to find a way to make contact with the EccentriaVerse.

Billy: "I have a hunch that if there is even a remote way to send an e-mail across the Percolation so that Hanom can receive it, then he can follow that same trail to e-mail us back. It's a very long shot. We can let him know that Vinny and Kayla are with us, and he can give us feedback on the other Rangers."

Tommy: "It's worth a shot, Billy - if getting a POP3 server in that world to interact with our own is even possible."

Alpha: "Rangers! Gasp! Why did I not think to ask that? Vinny, do you have e-mail in your world?"

Vinny: "Of course!"

Alpha: "Quick! What year are you from in that world?"

Vinny: "The year 2016. Why?"

Alpha: "Aiy yi yi!!! This world is still in 1993!"

Billy: "Well, that could be a problem. Who's Hanom's dial-up ISP?"

Kayla: "Uh...."

Vinny: "Dial-up? You guys don't have Ethernet?"

Billy: "This...could be a problem."

Kayla: "I guess we'll just have to pray that this disruption in the Percolation Wave is enough to send MODM our way."

Tommy: "MODM???"

Vinny: "Hanom's met him before. Self-proclaimed Master of Offworld Dark Matter. Reality warper that is constantly in a state of flux between dimensions. Originates from the Dromedeverse. But if he can find a way into this world, he may be able to communicate back and forth between here and EccentriaVerse."

Tommy: "Or send our friends home early?"

Vinny: "Possibly. But...that could destabilize the Percolation Wave further! They could...wind up in a really silly cartoon world if that happened!"

Kim: "O....kay then!"

Zordon: "We'll need to provide lodging for Vinny and Kayla here in the mean time. We cannot risk any Eccentrians falling into Rita's hands."

Little did they know that on the Moon Palace, Slaisionnach was biding his own time until he could draw out Volkonir.

Meanwhile, night had befallen in Bozeman in the EccentriaVerse. As Jason lay in the hospital bed, a nurse filled in Carlos and Masato on the details.

Nurse Alina: "This one is lucky to be alive! I've never studied a venom like this one before, but someone should catch that snake!"

Carlos: "I...don't think it was a snake."

Alina: "Whatever it was, he's sleeping very peacefully."

Masato (on phone): "Hanom!"

Hanom: "Yes?"

Masato: "He's going to make it. But we still know very little about him, apart from the...uh...clown suit."

Hanom: "Clown suit?"

Masato: "He was wearing something that looks an awful lot like something used to entertain children in my country. I cannot make sense of it. But...it came and went just like...a certain knight in these parts!"

Hanom: "Make sure no further harm comes to the Percolated guy. He may be our ticket to getting Vinny and Kayla back!"

Masato: "Will do. We'd better hurry. I'm due back in Tokyo in under a week. And if the Gwirdons hold me up there with their continued mischief, Vinny will be all you have left!"

Hanom: "I very much appreciate you filling in. And I wish you could be a more permanent solution, but I realize things here are what they are. I promised Vinny I'd try to find Silnya's statue, and a way to free her. If we succeed, Vinny might not need your help anymore."

Masato: "I am sure I will still be needed. Just...a little less often. One lonely prince...against a multiverse now? Poor strategy."

Hanom: "I agree. I'm after the black and yellow ones. Word on the news has it, they too are in trouble - of a different kind. Vanessa and I are gonna see if we can get them out of it. Over and out."

As Masato and Carlos were tending to Jason; Zack and Trini went around in search of more Putties and Gwirdon Treaders. Little did they realize that, after de-morphing, a security camera or two on HanomCorp grounds captured footage of them!

Zack: "It looks like all the Putties are gone! And I can't see what happened to those other creeps."

Trini: "Me neither! But it bothers me that we haven't heard anything from Jason."

Zack: "This whole place bothers me! I feel like Big Brother is watching us here. Like this is some sort of mountain dystopia."

Trini: "In that case, we'd better be careful how we approach those grounds where we appeared. I didn't take the time to read the sign on that one fence, but I'm pretty sure we're not welcome here."

The two found themselves near a storage locker facility, and began heading back toward where they came from a different way. They were in less of a hurry this time. As much as they feared for Jason's safety, they were just as concerned about drawing suspicion to themselves.

Zack: "Unless you want it to do otherwise, then nothing you tell me here leaves this other world. And whatever happens in this world, stays here, right?"

Trini: "That can never be entirely true of literally everything; but I get your point."

Zack: "So...what's eating you?"

Trini: "Zack...in the few months that I've come to know you...I've come to see sides of you that I have never seen in anyone else. Sides I..."

Zack: "Hey, it's all right. I've been over-the-moon for you too. But I set my sights on Angela first. Hey...if things don't work out with you and Richie, and I can't win over Angela long term...you can always look me up. I don't think anyone else will understand me like you will."

Trini: "That's just it. If we don't find a way back...you may very well be literally it. I don't know if my family would approve though."

Zack: "Well, if we are stuck here, then they aren't around to say anything, right?"

Before he could say another word, she grabbed hold of him. The kiss was a long one, enough to invoke in both of them fond memories of having watched films such as The Princess Bride. It could potentially cause them to question everything.

His rugged lips against her smooth ones provided them a contrast of textures enticing enough to want to explore further, though they knew doing so would be against their better judgment. As their hearts raced in a way they weren't accustomed to, they immediately realized they'd already gone too far.

Trini: "For now...that stays here. But I would be all too happy to do it again!"

Zack: "Amen to that. If we don't find Jason by nightfall..."

Trini: "As much as I'd like to...we better find him!"

Zack: "Right. Duty first, love later. Let's keep going!"

Both of them felt changed inside. Like this is how it was supposed to happen! But again...what about Angela and Ritchie?

On the other hand...if they never got back to their proper world, would those two even matter? It's not like Ritchie had ever shown Trini the affection and attention she wanted from him. And did Angela really care about Zack at all?

That kiss created a lot of confusion instantly. To whom were these two even loyal? Each other? Their external crushes?

No time for that! Jason needed to be found! Why hadn't he tried to reach them yet?

The two didn't get much further, before their location was discovered by Bozeman police!

Officer Jeff Harrison: "Hands up where I can see them!"

Zack: "What's the deal, officer?"

Officer Clyde Winston: "Trespassing on HanomCorp R&D grounds, you two??? As if those bugs stealing things constantly weren't already a problem, now we have Diversity Program-Approved Neo-Bonnie and Clyde?"

Trini: "We woke up in a strange place, with no idea how we got there! A friend of ours might be in trouble from those...bugs. We just want to know where we are, and get him and ourselves somewhere safe!"

Winston: "So you admit you were trespassing?"

Zack: "That's not fair!"

Winston: "Shut up, home boy!"

Zack: "Excuse me?"

Harrison: "Cuff 'em, Winston!"

Winston: "Don't resist, you bums! You're on video! You did it!"

As if finding out they were in love weren't enough of a world-shattering revelation for Zack and Trini both, the realization that they were under arrest for something just hit them even harder!

Trini: "Zack! This isn't happening!"

Winston: "Afraid so. Now get on your knees, and get ready! You're on your way to the dollhouse, sister!"

As the two officers placed handcuffs on the mysterious lost couple, Winston couldn't help but reach about - a bit inappropriately - into Trini's pocket to search for anything he could find of value on her. With less of a perverted streak, Harrison reached into Zack's pockets.

Harrison: "Power Rangers? This some sort of cute toy?"

Zack: "It's no toy, trust me!"

Winston: "A confession of illegal weapons possession? Anyway, it's probably one of Hanom's crazy inventions! I bet he intends to make his own version of whatever that Knight is that keeps prowling around his properties! But since he knows we're not fond of that Knight, a Ranger just might be more accepted? Guy's nuts!"

Harrison: "Whatever. We'll collect these...these..."

Zack: "Morphers!"

Harrison: "Yes, whatever. We'll collect these trinkets as evidence. We can add theft charges to the trespassing ones."

Trini: "We didn't get those from this 'Hanom' figure! It was given to us by-"

Winston: "Tell the judge, hot stuff! He might just get you moved to a psych ward instead, if you put on a good enough show. You still ain't free, but it'll be a tad more comfy there."

Zack: "Hey, man! You can stop grabbing her there! That ain't professional!"

Harrison: "I hate it when they're right. Best cut it out, Winston. We can't afford to have them suing the city."

Winston: "Ah, whatever! Fine! Check this out...these are very old-school California state IDs. 'Angel Grove' though? There's no such city!"

Harrison: "Fake IDs? We'll add that to the list of charges! The DA is gonna love us!"

Zack: "We're not from this Earth number, man! It shouldn't surprise you that your Earth doesn't have an Angel Grove!"

Winston: "Aw crap! Do we gotta put him in the psych ward too?"

Harrison: "We put a 'vampire' in there, allegedly. And we did see that Knight battling a giant raccoon! So...there's a ghost of a chance they're telling the truth!"

Winston: "Let's just take 'em in. Let the judge sort this out! This city is getting way too weird for me!"

Harrison: "On that, I agree."

Zack thought the officers in Angel Grove were stupid! He wasn't sure what to be upset about more: the fact that he and the woman he just realized he was in love with were both going to jail; or the fact that the arresting officers were really this bad at their jobs!

Either way, he could hardly believe that he went from respected Ranger and role model to petty criminal in a matter of a few hours, all due to a gross misunderstanding!

And then it dawned on him: Trini was always the role model everyone looked up to, even before him! How would she show her face now? Would anyone back in Angel Grove understand?

This moment was perhaps the worst for Trini. As a family across the street exited a classic German-style restaurant, the little children gazed in awe at the sight of what was happening.

Child in distance (shouting with excitement): "Mom! They caught some bad guys!!!"

Trini was especially hurt to hear those words! Was that really all she was to this strange new world? Even more painfully...she couldn't argue! She was on HanomCorp property without an invitation. She had hopped a fence. She was in possession of a trinket she couldn't even properly explain! From all accounts of that world's limited understanding of things, she was guilty!

Winston: "It's looking like you two could be locked away for up to 8 years if found guilty of everything!"

Her heart sank even more! How could they be so inhospitable to a lost young woman? Was she really about to lose 8 years of her life over something this stupid? They couldn't even prove she'd hurt anything or anyone...apart from the Putties and Treaders! But since when did Bozeman police assert either of those hideous creatures to have rights? And if they did, then she could be facing multiple assault charges and be locked up even longer!

Anger, guilt, and confusion filled inside her, until she could barely hold back the tears.

Zack: "We have a right to a lawyer, Trini! They'll have to honor that!"

Winston: "Assuming you still qualify as Americans, yes! But...since there is no Angel Grove, we're gonna have a hard time placing you two. Hell, Gitmo could be in your futures!"

Harrison: "Enough, Winston; you're making the girl cry! The judge will figure this out."

Once they were inside the car, they knew it wasn't just an act. This was really happening!

Harrison: "The girl is gonna ride with Winston. As for you, Fresh Prince...another car is coming for you! You'll be side-by-side entering the station. But if you got any Romeo and Juliet left inside, that'll be your last chance for it. After that, we're separating you two."

Winston: "Make with da smoochies! F-Pod's gonna wanna hear your story, babe! All the idiots on drugs....boring! But you...you've got a story to tell!"

Harrison:"Winston, please! You gotta learn to treat the ladies with a little more respect! See, that's why you're still single!"

Winston: "Whatever. And they claim there's a third one that got away. They...were getting a bit close. So I'm thinking we should separate these rabbits before they start breeding! Hanom's gonna be infested if we don't get on top of things!"

Zack: "It's....way early to be talking about kids!"

Winston: "Oh, how sweet! The lovebirds still believe in self-control!"

Harrison: "Oh good grief, Winston! This isn't 5th grade!"

Trini: "I don't like this city one bit! Too cynical."

Zack: "Perhaps that Spectral Hare Samurai guy can explain to us how he tolerates it here?"

Harrison: "A Samurai? And we thought that Knight running around was trouble! Anyone care to fill any of us in on what's going on?"

Melinda: "Though, from a certain angle, he does kinda resemble that one cute doctor from Mighty Med!"

Zack was unsure how to comment on that, electing to remain silent - assuming he even had that right in this universe.

Trini: "I love you, Zack."

Zack: "Same."

The two of them knew that from that point on, they'd be taken to gender-segregated holding cells. It was hard to say which one would be more miserable there: Trini for the sheer ignominy of it, or Zack for being the pretty-faced "kid" who was convinced he'd run into a swarm of hardened gangbangers. Using the powers for personal gain didn't seem like such a bad idea anymore. After all: Zordon never said anything about being arrested in another universe!

Winston: "Hey, Earl! Get pretty boy here some orange. And tell Lucy to get the cup ready for the girl."

Trini:"Cup?"

Zack: "I...think he means a pregnancy test."

Trini: "But...I'm still a virgin!"

She couldn't believe she just said that out loud!

Harrison: "It's...standard protocol. Also how we test for drugs. Fair warning: You won't get a lot of privacy either. Let's face it: You showed up here acting like you're some kind of superhero. There's bound to be something else funny going on!"

For both Rangers, being lost in the EccentriaVerse was proving quite humiliating. Rita's monsters would never stoop to doing anything this degrading!

Trini was soon over the drug and pregnancy test ordeal, and somewhat relieved to finally be put in a holding cell. But the doors closing only further made it clear to her what her predicament had been reduced to. And her new cellmate: could this strange woman be trusted?

Vanna Oversteel: "Hey, hey, what's with the shivers? Apart from me, there's nobody but you in here! Weird, right? Usually, it's over-crowded here! You and I are the last ones not to be transferred to county yet. Which is funny, because it's basically next door to here!"

Trini: "I'm from California. Though...have you heard of a thing called a Percolation Wave?"

Vanna: "Vague talks and rumors of it. Mostly from HanomCorp presentations. Weird science-y gibberish and theory, if you ask me."

Trini: "Hanom must have a lot of influence in this town."

Vanna: "He practically could own the town if he wanted to, honey! HanomCorp has become Bozeman's top industry leader! Though...Fred himself seems to want to hide from the public a lot. Got this R&D security team he communicates with a lot from a secret base. Three elites, and a few others whose names I forget. Ha! One of the elites is Vinny Mason. I've met him before. Strange fellow. Thinks he's the lost Prince Volkonir of Cortascius. But that's crazy! Oh well, he's harmless otherwise. There's a strange knight that prowls around and helps the security team too. I ain't never seen them in a room together. Funny, huh?

Kayla? I've met her. She used to be a jailbird, like us! I heard she punched a CPS guy in the nose! I'll bet he deserved it too. Corrupt leeches, if you ask my one sister! Her kids were taken away on an unfounded rumor. She still doesn't have them back! I have no idea how this Kayla even got hired. Some say she's the Wyoming Cabin Burglar; but no one can prove it. Now, she works to keep expensive stuff from getting stolen! The irony!

Carlos? He's the funny one! I think he's kinda cute. But...he's got some bad family karma to run from."

Trini: "I don't understand."

Vanna: "Oh, honey! His mom's a drug queen down in Mexico! He doesn't want to inherit the throne. Can't say I blame him! The Modis are bad news! They've ticked off everyone from the Zetas to the Triads! How he wound up at HanomCorp is anyone's guess though. That place is so strange; the lot of it! And they're obsessed with Cortascius!

It's just a dead planet to me, in the middle of nowhere in the galaxy! Why does anyone care so much about it? Whatever civilization it had, died out a long time ago!"

Trini: "I've heard of other worlds with civilizations on them. Edenoi, Eltar, KO-35...but Cortascius is a new one by me!"

Vanna: "So...you a Percolation then?"

Trini: "I must be. The officers said Angel Grove doesn't exist! So your California can't be my California. I also don't remember it being 2016."

Vanna: "All that talk of CalExit if Trump wins?"

Trini: "Donald Trump runs for president??? I...must have been under a rock since 1994!"

Vanna: "Oh, honey! You are the lucky one!"

Trini: "If this could be called luck."

Vanna: "If you knew what becomes of Bill Clinton. If you knew of all the scandals Hillary would have to ward off... Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if that pizza shop really is a front! So much fake news, it's hard to know who's even telling the truth about what anymore!"

Trini: "So...DC is in worse shape than ever?"

Vanna: "Both parties have gone off the rails, sweetheart! Only downside to me is, I can't vote anymore to fix it! So, dimension-hopping and time travel? Warn your world that elections will have consequences! Or else...they'll be just as screwed up as we are!"

Trini: "So...how'd you end up in here? My friends and I found ourselves on HanomCorp property. The Wave sent us there. We had no choice. The police...were less than understanding. A monster attacked too. Zack's in one of the male sections, and Jason's missing."

Vanna: "Ever hear of Carrie Underwood?"

Trini: "Who?"

Vanna: "Country singer. Of course...you wouldn't know. You don't remember a time after Reba McIntyre had a TV show! Well, there's this song about wrecking a boyfriend's truck. I...did everything described in the song! Except, then I set the thing on fire! And I shot his annoying poodle, because it bit me while I was torching the vehicle! Cheating lowlife!

Hindsight 20/20, I probably would've gotten away with my stunt if I hadn't shot the dog. The bullet made too much noise. In my defense, he was more upset about the truck."

Trini: "Ouch! Well, I hope he learned his lesson, at least! And that poor dog!"

Vanna: "Oh, everyone hated that dog! I did him a favor, if anything. Can't say the local law sees it that way. They now look at me like I'm Michael Vick! Only...I think you and I are gonna get a lot more prison time than he got! I don't think what you're getting is fair. But everyone else in this story got what they deserved, trust me!"

Trini had gone from feeling she'd made a friend, to being completely disgusted with Vanna, all in a matter of minutes! She'd seen all she cared to see of the jail culture in Volkonir's Bozeman. But who would get her out now that she was locked in?

So it has come down to this. Bozeman PD in the EccentriaVerse were pretty sure that Angel Grove doesn't really exist. Who was this strange woman? None other than the Yellow Ranger, that's who! But that universe had never had any contact with the EccentriaVerse before, so how were Bozeman police to know that?

How were they to know the morpher was hers, and not just some piece of tech that was stolen from HanomCorp - like what happens so often when the Gwirdons and their sympathizers are around?

What could not be disputed, is that she was on HanomCorp R&D grounds without permission. But how, and why? She clearly seemed like she didn't mean to be trouble - except to those clay things and those giant mosquitoes that nobody liked!

The ignominy of Trini's peculiar situation was hitting her harder than ever now. Getting arrested was just not the sort of thing that happened to her, ever! How would she ever live this down? What was next? Would she ever get home?

She also feared that whoever she was about to meet next, that woman would be a lot less tolerable than Vanna - who was already annoying as could be!

Meanwhile, Zack was holding his composition only slightly better. A man of his origin from a city not far from LA being wrongly accused of a bunch of garbage by a bunch of cops who liked to make inappropriate comparisons of him to Will Smith? Why, how much more clichť could this be?

Alas, he didn't want to let Trini down. So he resisted the temptation to do the other clichť thing and flip the bird.

Winston: "You can quit with the waterworks, sister! You're gonna be in Gallatin County here for a bit. And by a bit, I mean it could be a month for you to get a court date! Until then, I don't think anyone's gonna bug you...except maybe me! Let me worry about that poodle perforator!"

Trini: "She wasn't serious about the college roommate part, was she?"

Winston: "Probably not. I dunno. She's disgusting."

Trini: "Well, no argument there!"

As the door slammed shut and locked, there was no denying it anymore.

Trini (thinking to self): "Zordon, please come up with something! And wherever you are, Jason, I hope you're okay."

With all her other non-using-powers options exhausted, Trini herself felt exhausted. Even then, she felt strangely weak. As if the last time she morphed, it was not through the regular Grid. But what substitute was her coin using? And why did her coin not like the substitute?

What was really going on? How much trouble were her friends in? Was she the lucky one, ironically enough?

May as well get some rest. What else could she do?

Zack was beginning to feel the weight too, even though he was able to feel slightly less offended by the degradation.

Zack: "Stay strong, Trini. I will get you out of this...somehow. Even if I'm stuck here for life!"

He was hoping someone - anyone - could come up with a solution to all this madness.

Happy memories to their first kiss put a smile on his face, breaking his misery streak temporarily.

As the Rangers waited for answers in their jail cells, one man was desperately looking to come up with a solution - the man who felt like it was all his fault!

Fred Hanom knew that Vinny, Kayla, and Carlos were not adequately prepared for this mission. He arrogantly trusted them with too much responsibility, neglecting the risks of his own machine. He also failed to predict what would happen if Gwirmalesh or a minion turned it on prematurely!

Replays of security footage of the battle with Slaisionnach, Masato and Carlos' efforts to get Jason to the hospital, and the news footage of Zack and Trini being arrested and booked made Hanom feel like the worst man in the multiverse!

Hanom (thinking to self): "Okay, Fred...no pressure. Just...an entire other universe is in grave danger because of you. Your enemy stole your invention, your stocks could plummet if you don't get a handle on this before it becomes an even bigger PR crisis in more sense than one...your Knight is trapped in the universe you endangered, your only remaining security elite is the dumbest of the bunch, you're borrowing a Samurai from the guys in Japan that want to buy you out, your normal enemy wants his monster back, the other universe wants its heroes back...and I can't figure out how to fix whatever I did the Percolation Wave!

There's only one man I know of who can fix this! But...can he keep his crap together long enough to help?"

That man was Mike Obediah Morrison, the nephew of Stan Woudean in the Dromedeverse. Mike was better known as the Master of Outer Dark Matter, or "MODM" for short. But would MODM's plans make things even worse???

No sooner did Hanom press his MODM distress button, than the Wonka-esque hero sprang to work developing communications between three universes at once! This was video conferencing done to the extreme!

Vinny: "Good to know you're still out there. But I think right now, you should talk to the floating head in the background."

Hanom: "I'm sure we all have a lot of questions as to what happened. I'll let you go first."

Zordon: "We've lost Zack, Trini, and Jason in your world. I in particular demand answers."

Hanom: "I've lost Vinny and Kayla in yours. But apparently, you already know that. I think when King Gwirmalesh had Slaisionnach activate that device of mine, he did so without proper safety protocols. It caused another disturbance in the Percolation Wave, resulting in my Knight and guard swapping places with three of your Rangers. However, my Samurai is telling me that Slaisionnach also vanished. Gwirmalesh doesn't seem to know what happened to him either."

Billy: "Is it possible that Slaisionnach is now the reason the Percolation Wave can't correct itself?"

Zordon: "Very likely so, Billy. But if that world's monsters are as tough as its defenders, Slasionnach will be too much for you to defeat if he teams up with Rita."

MODM: "Ah yes! See...I was one of the first to be caught in the Wave. And I'm its biggest frequent flyer. It's all really quite complicated and all; but I think you are right that killing Slaisionnach is the key to fixing what went wrong. And destroying Hanom's machine is step 2."

Hanom: "I think Slaisionnach already took care of that. Jason nearly died by Slaisionnach's hand. Brave soul. But he started getting weaker very quickly in that fight."

MODM: "Abdygalan Specifics!"

Zordon and Hanom: "What?"

MODM: "In my world, it's the Abdygalis ruptured to form the Percolation Wave and the XomiaFaeCore! In Hanom's world, Floaty, it became the EccentriaCore and the Tapestry! In your world, it became...er..."

Alpha: "The Morphing Grid?"

MODM: "EXACTLY! And the three similar forces all have the ability to become substitutes for each other...more or less. But something not native to a particular flavor is going to be weaker over time than if it is directly wiring to its native flavor."

Zordon: "I'm not sure I understand."

MODM: "It's simple, really! When I rescued Candace á, her powers as the Lemon Witch were gradually getting weaker in the world of Teen in Terror Life. In time, Vinny will be as weak as your Rangers. Your Rangers will be almost powerless in Vinny's world, eventually. Only plus side is...Slaisionnach will get weaker too!"

Tommy: "Then he'll have no choice but to work for Rita! Aw man, that IS bad news!"

Kayla: "At least that way, if Rita does put a spell on Vinny, he'll be no more threat than a Ranger gone bad. So he can help on the next battle. I'll stay in here. I'd only be a liability in Angel Grove, at the moment."

Zordon: "Volkonir...you are admirable in your willingness to engage in this fight, even if it was not originally your own. We will do all in our power to make this like it never happened."

Vinny: "Thanks. Kayla deserves some credit too. She's given me hope even when I was feeling down about past failures."

Zordon: "Indeed. You two are honorary Rangers."

Kim: "Problem is...that means three Rangers and one Knight. And if Rita is propping up Slaisionnach and we're down a few Zords and numbers, what'll we do?"

MODM: "No worries, Pinky! Leave that to me and Hanom! I can bring a handful of others besides myself to your world - with a little help from a certain Jenny Jane I know over at Camelorum Correctional."

Zordon: "Whatever you intend on doing, MODM, do it quickly. We are running out of time."

MODM: "Over and out! You're gonna love this!"

áNote: In the Camelorum Adventures episode 2-parter "17 and Amphibious," a parody of The Asylum's Jailbait, Candace finds herself trapped inside the graphic novel Teen in Terror Life. Her powers get gradually weaker, until MODM can find a way to bring her back home. Doing so somehow results in Anna Ford (parody of Anna Nix) getting cloned, and the clone getting stuck in Camelorum. The clone is then turned into a bullfrog by exposure to Carly, and is hired as Stan's new secretary.

The CD player suddenly started playing in Hanom's R&D underground facility's basement. A flash of lighting could be seen, as a CD Hanom didn't remember putting in started playing a clean version of "High School Dance" by the Mighty Mighty BossTones.

Hanom: "MODM."

MODM: "Right here, Doc!"

Hanom: "At least you know how to make an entrance. So what's your plan? Carlos and Masato are keeping watch over Jason. I'm gonna try to pay the bail to get Zack and Trini out of jail. The still-operational Rangers and Volkonir are looking for a way to kill Slaisionnach. You might be able to help with that final part. Also, reports are that Trini is inconsolable. I don't want to return her to Zordon too far into clinical depression to function."

MODM: "I can cheer her up, and help the Rangers, and your friend! I'll even do it for free this time! It'll be fun!"

Hanom: "Care to tell me your plan?"

MODM: "I'll get back to you on that. Just be ready to call up a lawyer for them. I don't think they're gonna give those two up, even if you get most of the charges dropped!"

Hanom: "Good point."

MODM: "And don't lose sleep over this if you can't bail them out. Leave that to me too!"

Hanom had faith MODM could pull it off - but still didn't understand why MODM insisted on wearing that ridiculous Wonka costume.

Hanom: "Whatever. Vanessa...you see if you can get an interview with Trini."

Vanessa: "The tall one?"

Hanom: "Of course! MODM's got the other one in position. Along with Vicken."

John: "Where's Luke?"

MODM: "No worries! I've got Fai...er...keeping him occupied, unless he should do something really stupid - like pick a fight with Gwirmalesh at this moment."

John: "Right. He hates most space aliens passionately. Lot of good they do, eh?"

Ross: "And we've got Stef in case that's not enough."

Hanom: "I'll try to reason with the officers, or see if I can bail Zack and Trini out. Otherwise...we get creative."

John: "Let's blow this tosh!"

Hanom: "And Kim?"

Kim was around, but she'd found an item amidst Vinny's stuff that amused her. Was it even better than Krispy Kreme? When no one was looking, she thought she'd try some.

Kim: "Wassup, chief?"

Hanom (slightly irritated): "We're on a mission to help your friends rescue their alt-world counterparts, so I can get my Knight and security guard back from their world and make sure Slaisionnach can't threaten yours! So I'd prefer you not act like this were a school field trip!"

MODM: "Oh, don't be so hard on her, Freddy! She bumped into me when we first met, and I had this really weird feeling! Since then...her thoughts have been slightly less coherent. I'm sure it'll wear off - in a month! Back on topic: to be fair, if you're gonna steal, why not inside a police station?"

Kim: "Borrow. And I'm pretty sure Vinny will get his coffee mug back just fine. Tasty stuff though. Say...where is this 'Biggby' place located anyway?"

Hanom: "Back when Gwirmalesh turned Vinny into a stuffed toy..."

Kim (trying not to laugh): "Sorry...I'm an ass. Continue..."

Hanom: "Yeah. Gwrimalesh's spells make no sense to me either. Anwyay, Vinny needed to get to the Pool of Healing on Cortascius. The hidden portal was on a purple pipe inside the Granger Building of the Ferris State campus in Big Rapids, Michigan.

There was a Biggby store in town that Vinny hid inside of, until he could get the chance to have Cassie throw him at the pipe and send him through. He grew to like that Biggby store. So he bought some mugs to remind him of it."

Kim: "iMuy interesante!. At least it's better than Starbucks."

Ross: "I do bloody think Crosstown is best, o-right-up-there!."

Hanom: "Focus, guys! We can debate donut shops later. We're on a mission. And MODM?"

MODM: "Yes?"

Hanom: "Try to fix Kim when you can, so she is a little less id-dominant! I don't think the other Zordon will appreciate you giving him a cuckoo bird in the place of his Pink Ranger."

MODM: "It'll get worse before it gets better, but I'll try."

Hanom: "Please do. I want to sleep at night."

Officer Greg Marino walked out to see who all these sudden visitors were.

Marino: "Hanom!"

Hanom: "Good evening, Marino."

Marino: "So...who invited Gene Wilder here?"

Hanom: "That's...not funny."

Marino: "At least he ain't the Johnny Depp version! Then, I wouldn't want him around all these children for sure!"

Hanom: "Actually, I believe that's partially why I'm here. These are Percolations you see before you. That Gwirdon Gang has been stealing my toys again, and this one's a real doozy! Alternate universe access and other weird stuff that was never supposed to happen outside my lab. I believe two members of my security team went missing. And two other Percolations are now in your jail."

Marino (in denial): "I'm not sure what you're talking about!"

Hanom: "I believe their faces were flashed on the news as your latest catches. They were not intentionally trespassing on my grounds. They were sent there against their will. A third one is in the hospital. I've got my remaining R&D elite security playing bodyguard. The creature known as Slaisionnach nearly killed him. And now, he's after these visitors' worlds. I would like to pay Zack and Trini's bail."

Marino: "Fat chance, Hanom! There is no bail! And you can't bribe one into existence either. Not even you!"

Hanom: "I want all charges dropped."

Marino: "Hire them a good lawyer. Their IDs are obviously fake! They're lucky we didn't paper shred them! There is no Angel Grove, and uh...say there, Pinkie Pie...where'd the pedo and the Brit-Goths go?"

Kim had to try very hard to hold back the urge to punch Greg right then and there. After all...what sort of Ranger was she, if she went around randomly punching cops? But then she started thinking of daffodils, and wondered if Marino didn't deserve to be one. Oh, drat! That got her thinking of The Lion King! But why was it a circle of life? Why not a squircle? After all: squircles are way cooler. And make better plates.

Vanessa: "Would it be possible to at least interview them?"

Marino: "Tomorrow, during visiting hours, I'll let Hanom talk to the Fresh Prince and you can talk with the other one about the price of tea in China."

Hanom:"Trini's family is from Vietnam."

Marino: "Whatever!"

Kim couldn't take any more of it. She whipped out her own ID.

Kim: "Study this, if you are, in fact, smarter than a 5th grader! You see? There are many Angel Groves! Mine got blown to smitties. The Love-the-'90s Crew we're trying to save still has theirs. But...not if we don't unite and stop Slaisionnach!"

After a brief pause to look at her ID, Marino let out a sinister grin.

Marino: "You're a miracle worker, Hanom! You make it easier every single day for us to get garbage like this off the streets! Now if only we could capture that 'Golden Lion' Knight who's mostly green, and get something out of him! That'd be something!"

Hanom: "You're not at all concerned about that cult in mosquito masks?"

Marino: "Nope. The Knight will get them. And then, we'll get him. The problems will just about take care of themselves!"

Marino noticed that Kim was giving him a very contemptuous look.

Marino: "Got something else to say to me, She-Kirby?"

Kim: "Actually, I was just trying to solve the riddle of whether your mouth needs a mint...or toilet paper!"

For Marino, this was the last straw.

Marino: "All right, turn around! You'll cool your jets for the next 24 hours with me, talking to an officer like that!"

Kim (imitating Sheryl Crow): ♫"If it / makes you / happy..."♫

Marino: "And I'll report your fake behind to ICE along with the other Pap-Smea..."

Hanom: "Percolations!"

Marino: "Yeah, those!"

Kim (being dragged away): "I'm an awesome possum!!!"

Marino: "I hope Vanna eats you for lunch!"

Vanessa: "Well! I hope the others are having better luck than we are. And what's gotten into her?"

Hanom: "I'm sure they are. And if you ask me...MODM."

Vanessa: "That guy is a bad influence!"

Hanom: "I would not have reached out to him if we didn't need him. Trust me."

Trini thought she heard rumbling of some type inside her cell, and quickly opened her eyes to find out what was behind all the commotion.

Trini'17: "Yeah, about that. See, here's the gist of what's going on: There was this thing called the Abdygalis. When it was shattered, it formed several other barely-explicable phenomena. Those things tore the universe apart into several smaller universes, some of which are aware of each other and some not. So there's probably hundreds of alternate timelines.

I'm from a timeline where Angel Grove is a small fishing town, and this thing called a 'Zeo Crystal' is buried beneath what used to be a Krispy Kreme. My Rita is a former Green Ranger gone rogue, who wanted to capture it to appease the United Alliance of Evil in 2017 - and for her own use. Long story. And my Zordon is stuck inside a wall."

Trini'93: "In mine, he's in a plasma tube. My world's Rita is a brown-dressed witch on the moon, and it's 1993. By the way...who won the election in November of 2016?"

Trini'17: "Trump. But I don't know if he has a plan yet on how to deal with the United Alliance of Evil. Rita pretty much took everyone by surprise. And how'd you know about the 2016 elections, if it's not yet November of 2016 in this timeline?"

Vicken: "And I'm from an England in 2005 where some pretty weird tosh happens all the time. Captain Emohead is in a tube too."

Trini'93: "And...where is this place?"

Trini'17: "From what the others told me..."

Vicken: "Land of the Knobs, really! I just knew it would be, too!"

Trini'17: "My Billy agreed to stay behind. In case...well, stuff happened. He seems to be able to morph now without help from the rest of us. Making him critical there if we screw up! My Kim came along, but she's an idiot and just got herself arrested. So pretty soon, she can keep you company in here.

This is the EccentriaVerse, by the way. Here, the Abdygalis fracture became the EccentriaCore, bound to the whole of this universe; but strongest in the core of the planet Cortascius. A framework built by the Weavers into the EccentriaCore, called the Tapestry, functions an awful lot like the Morphing Grid. A magic armor storage warehouse, or some such thing."

Trini'93: "I still don't understand."

Trini'17 realized she'd have to get really good at summary, and quickly. It was only a matter of time before someone checked on Trini'93's cell and found unauthorized visitors!

Trini'17: "Right. Anyway, so a bunch of humanity somehow wound up on Cortascius. Two kingdoms formed. And a war got started because of some...thing called a...Marzwhatti? I don't know. But the main Cortascian Kingdom was being threatened by this giant evil mosquito overlord named Gwirmalesh. Who now is hiding his evil forces beneath the mountains in Bozeman, Montana. You are in the Gallatin County Detention Center. Most likely because they thought you were stealing from Dr. Hanom - like Gwirmalesh and his monsters do."

Trini'93: "Okay...this is starting to make sense."

Vicken: "Just wait, it gets weirder."

Trini'17: "The Knights of Cortascius were formed to save the universe from Gwirmalesh. But apparently, they're all dead now except for Volkonir. He and his lady pal Kayla Tarington are now being kept at the Command Center in your world. A monster also wound up there, named Slaisionnach. Gaelic for 'Throat Slasher', or something. Anyway, he's like a Russian Raiden from Mortal Kombat, but with venom as well as lightning, or so I've heard.

Your Jason tried to fight Slaisionnach, and wound up in the hospital in this world. Now, Slaisionnach is in yours. And according to MODM, he's now working for Rita."

Trini'93: "Well, that almost makes sense. It's his only way home."

Trini'17: "Not entirely true. The only way to send everyone home, after Slaisionnach destabilized the Percolation Wave...is to kill Slaisionnach."

Vicken: "And the good news is...once you Percolate home...so will most of your stuff. No one will ever know you were arrested. At least...not in your Angel Grove."

Trini'17: "It gets worse. The Tapestry and Grid are not 100% compatible. The longer you stay feeding off the Tapestry, the weaker you get. The longer Volkonir taps into the Grid, the weaker he gets. Until his strength will be the same as one of your Rangers. And your Rangers may as well not have any strength here at all. I can only hope your Grid and mine are more compatible."

Trini'93: "I appreciate you all trying so hard to cheer me up. Not sure that last bit helps."

Vicken: "Just stay strong. Hanom is trying to get you a lawyer. But if you Percolate home before your court date, you won't even need one."

Trini'17: "Normal Percolation Temps are in worlds on a time limit. When the limit expires, you go home. Could be you're in prison for two years or more. But like Vicken said...Hanom's working to get you a lawyer. As common as Percolations are becoming between this world and the Dromedeverse, you'd think those worlds would start granting Percolations more legal recognition. Instead, they seem to lock us up as first instinct."

Trini'93: "How can you be so comfortable with being tossed in with a bunch of criminals like this?"

After having to think about it a second, Trini'17 came up with an answer.

Trini'17: "Well, to be fair, there's this mean lady named Melanie gunning for us back in my world, after our Megazord and Goldar blew my hometown to Hell. It actually wouldn't surprise me one bit if I end up in prison fairly soon! But to be frank, the world changed after 9/11."

Trini'93: "Changed how?"

Trini'17: "Have you ever seen Terminator?"

Trini'93: "Uh...I snuck over to a friend's house to watch it one time. Why?"

Trini'17: "We're halfway there. Something tells me Vinny's world here is on a similar dark trajectory."

Trini'17: "Long story short: 2001. Planes hit towers. Republicans and Democrats become too much alike. The whole world goes Blade Runner dark and jumpy. The WiP genre makes a comeback. Rita destroys a Krispy Kreme with Goldar's help. I'm now on a government watchlist for all the property damage the Megazord inflicted stopping her. And my mom thinks I'm on drugs."

Trini'93: "So, how soon before MODM calls you to my world to fix everything?"

Trini'17: "As soon as we hear word that Slaisionnach is up to something."

Vicken: "Tomorrow, Hanom's associate Vanessa Kwan will be meeting with you...in a more legal fashion. She'll be there to ensure you don't get a super duper amount of time."

Trini'93 (tear-eyed): "Thank you!"

Trini'17: "Us Kwans have to stick together. And even when we can't...Hanom isn't gonna leave you high and dry. He can't. He'll never get Vinny and Kayla back without you. And he kinda needs them. Top employees, even if he can't acknowledge them as such."

Vicken: "Kwans only? Am I chopped liver?"

Trini'17: "What was your last name again?"

As MODM was gathering forces to kill Slaisionnach, Rita and Finster decided to have some fun modifying a little of their own arsenal using Slaisionnach's upgraded DNA.

Slaisionnach: "I feel whole lot different."

Rita: "Yes! The upgrades worked beautifully!"

Finster: "And with his new extendo-fangs, he can cripple the Rangers in one bite! Shall I say...cut through their suits like butter? Only the Green Ranger will pose a challenge for him."

Finster: "And you will! See, Volkonir is also getting weaker the longer he is in this world and not his own. Soon, his Knight armor will afford him only slightly better protection than what the Rangers have. And even better...Volkonir doesn't have a Zord of his own to pilot!"

Rita: "Excellent! Let's send down the Slaison-Putties to scare everyone at the park!"

Slaisionnach: "I have better idea. Send them to collect heads in park! Will make Pajama Men sick to stomach! I kill head of military in region, then attack city at night. Even Rangers must sleep. I then draw out Knight, and make Gwirmalesh proud!"

The new Slaisionnutties wasted little time in the park stabbing park-goers with their claws, filling victims with venom and spreading out into the streets soon thereafter. Police arrived on the scene, this time just barely striking up the nerve to attack with deadly force. Alas, the Slaisionnutties and their claws proved even more deadly than bullets from a pistol. Heads began to roll quite literally for a handful of tragic officers, as the Slaisionnutties kept right on coming.

Pandemonium soon hit the streets.

As news broke out about Slaisionnach, Clownscavator, and the Slaisionnutties destroying parts of Angel Grove, MODM decided to have one final word before giving in to his Percolation bond impulses and traveling to the Rangers' world. He needed to ensure Zack knew what was going on - and get tips from him.

MODM: "Hey there, Schmazzy!"

Zack: "What?"

MODM: "Relax. Your girlfriend is fine. I've got friends tending to her. And I'm gonna clear this up and get you out of here too. But I need something from you before I go."

Zack: "That thing that attacked us on HanomCorp grounds...what was that?"

MODM: "Slaisionnach. The cousin to Seirsionnach...one of Gwirmalesh's nastiest monsters."

Zack: "Right. And how am I getting out of here? How can I get Trini out of here?"

MODM: "Just call me MODM! I've got a connection to the Percolation Wave. So do you now. Yours has been damaged, but I can repair it. But I need to kill Slaisionnach to do it. It'll send you, your girlfriend, and your pal in the hospital back to your own dimension. Slaisionnach got lost in your world, and now works for Rita. Anything you can tell me?"

Zack: "Well, if Rita is tampering with him, she usually leaves her monsters with an unusual weakness. Usually. You have to find that weakness somehow, and exploit it."

MODM: "Righty-O, chap! And here's a little token of my appreciation until the Percolation Wave sends you home."

Zack looked at the bottle being handed to him by MODM with slight confusion at first.

Zack: "Liquid handsoap?"

MODM: "In case it takes a while for you to get home...you'll understand soon enough. And since you don't have access to commissary, due to your money not having tangible reality here, you'll want whatever you can get."

Zack: "Gee, thanks...I...think."

Zordon'93: "MODM, we're running out of time!"

Zordon'17: "We need to get these Rangers in high gear!"

Captain Emohead: "What they said! Slaisionnach is about to host a carnival...of death! Take him down!!!"

The words that all monsters under Rita's program have strange weaknesses suddenly gave MODM an idea, as he vanished into the evidence room to gather a few things from the files of the recently-arrested Rangers. The crew couldn't wait much longer.

News blurbs went out everywhere, that Rita's latest attack of Slaisionnach, Slaisionnutties, and Clownscavator were causing the body count in Angel Grove to rise like no other monster before! Graphic mutilations and venom-injected bodies rotting on the scene were popping up all over, as parts of the city began to burn and updates noted that Slaisionnach had just crippled the military!

"Where are the Rangers?" asked the lady on the news, right as a Slasionnutty reached from behind and decapitated her on live television!

Kayla: "I'll ready myself as a medic if anyone drops. These things clearly outclass Gwirdon Treaders, and I don't have any of my security equipment."

Vinny: "I'll find a way to make you a Knight someday, Kayla. Promise. It doesn't seem fair that all your potential should be wasted now."

Billy: "That's a relative notion, Vinny. She's simply employing it through a different means."

Kayla: "Billy's right. Thanks anyway, Vinny. We've had plenty of other adventures together, and we'll probably have many more. I'll be fine sitting this fight out."

Just then, the other Percolated Rangers began arriving with MODM to the Command Center.

Jason'17: "Well...this is different all right! Where I'm from, the Command Center is a spaceship inside a cave. And...Zordon is in a wall, not a glass case."

Zordon: "You have proven your merits many times already, Jason of another Earth. I now need for you, Tommy, and Vinny to lead this makeshift army of Rangers against an entire city of the unholy fusion of Rita and Gwirmalesh's powers. You should take pains to avoid the spikes on your enemies. Vinny, your armor makes you best suited to fight Slaisionnach directly."

Fai: "This is so retro-fashionable!"

Zordon'93: "Fai: You, Vinny, and Tommy will take on the task force to battle Slaisionnach."

Fai: "Righty-o!"

Zordon'93: "Zack of Another Earth: I charge you and Ross to work together against Clownscavator."

Ross: "Sweet."

Captain Emohead: "Oh, you two have no idea!"

Zordon'93: "Vicken: you and Trini of Another Earth shall work together against the Slaisionnutties."

Vicken: "Of course."

Zordon'93: "MODM is still trying to figure out Kimberly of Another Earth's situation. Until then, I need my Kimberly to work with Stef on more Slaisionnutties."

Kim: "Glad to think pink, Zordon!"

Stef: "I'm gonna break their hearts!"

Zordon'93: "And then Luke and Jason of Another Earth: I shall need you two to alternate between attacking Clownscavator and Slaisionnach."

Luke: "Sounds like fun."

Jason'17: "We'll do what we can."

Captain Emohead: "Okay, everyone! Let's get down there, and kick his ass!!!"

Hanom: "Come home safely, guys."

Zordon'17 (snarling, rolling eyes): "Don't mess this up, Rangers."

Tommy: "It's Morphin' Time!"

Ross: "It's Moshin' Time!"

Vinny: "Golden Lion Time!"

Alpha'17: "Yeah!!!!! Power Rangers!"

Emo 5: "Emo too!"

With a final blow of a kiss to Kayla, Vinny activated his Golden Lion Mogriffer. The death toll was too high, and it was time for this new makeshift team of Rangers plus one Knight to stop Slaisionnach by any means!

Vinny: "Golden Lion, Cortascius Defend!!!"

Tommy: "Dragonzord!"

Kimberly: "Pterodactyl!"

Billy: "Triceratops!"

Stef: "Bleeding Heart Emo Power!"

John: "StraightxEdge Emo Power!"

Ross: "Introspective Emo Power!"Vicken: "Weeping Tears Emo Power!"

Luke: "Chaos Mohawk Emo Power!"

Fai: "FashionxCore!"

The other Rangers flexed, thinking of all that was at stake and how badly their new friends needed them. The Angel Grove that was usually sunny and full of happiness was now beginning to look more like the other Rangers' Angel Grove...the war-torn fishing town version. The Emo Rangers were used to this sort of thing.

Vinny saw it as a forewarning of what could happen if he should ever drive Gwirmalesh to desperation. Bozeman, for starters, would be leveled until it were in worse shape the Mighty Kingdom back on Cortascius!

The various factions of heroes finally arrived to the burning area of Angel Grove, seeing a city filled with smoke and fire. Rubble, guts and gore strewn about, the stench of death, destroyed cars...it was worse than when Cortascius fell! Screams and carnage filled the air, as the Slaisionnutties had a field day on any residents they could get close enough to sink their venomous claws into!

Volkonir: "I take it, it's never this bad for you guys?"

Kimberly: "No. Never."

Volkonir: "Very well. Fai, Tommy, come with me. We'll take Slaisionnach himself. Kim...stay by us and Stef. Flank any Slaisionnutties that get too close."

Kimberly: "Will do!"

Stef: "And tell them to Ford-truck off!"

Volkonir: "Ross, Zack, you two do your thing. Luke and Jason will do theirs. Trini and Vicken will do theirs. Billy...stay close to John. I have a samurai friend of my own back home. Never know when they'll come in handy."

Billy: "Affirmative."

Fai: "All this barbarism is so not fashionable!"

Tommy: "Then let's make 'em pay!"

Ross: "Indeed! They've bloody 9/11'd this place!"

Kimberly: "What?"

Volkonir: "You...don't wanna know, trust me."

As the strike teams assembled, it didn't take long to find a decrepit office building in which several residence were hiding in terror. Slaisionnach and Clownscavator went looking for any children they could find cowering beneath desks, and had the Slaisionnutties drag one out to be decapitated in front of the others.

No sooner did he succeed, however, than he felt a very sharp pain the back! The Rangers and Volkonir had arrived!

Slaisionnach: "You shoot well. I shoot HARDER!!!"

Volkonir, Fai, and Tommy went after Slaisionnach with all their might.

Volkonir: "Watch out for his new fangs!!!"

Slaisionnach wasted no time using these new accessories to try to pierce Volkonir's armor. However, Volkonir defended with Selshon, deflecting most of the monster's blows. Fai attempted to use her makeover spray to weaken him, but to no avail. Tommy tried his signature moves.

Slaisionnach: "Green Pajama Man have spirit!"

Tommy: "And you can bet, I have plenty more where that came from!"

Slaisionnach then activated his new super mode. An energy beam with a 160-degree radius quickly jutted from his mouth as his new teeth came out, providing the three heroes with an assault they couldn't hope to deflect in time. Sparks flew, as the heroes got in closer to search for a weakness. It didn't take much for him to toss them around like ragdolls!

Fai: "No, not cool, nooo!!!!"

After landing a lucky strike on his knee, she soon found herself being sent right through a wall! Slaisionnach attempted to claw Tommy's arm the way he had Jason's, but Tommy saw it coming and got out of the way in time. Before Slaisionnach could try again, he had Volkonir to deal with again!

Slaisionnach: "You vaihp vihndows, Knight!!!"

Slaisionnach landed a lucky snag, and sent Volkonir through the window to the balcony one story below!

Downstairs, Kim and Stef were having only slightly better luck. The Slaisionnutties kept right on coming! One unlucky swipe from their claws could go right through the armor and take someone's head off, so the girls knew they had to be careful. It was hard to draw their weapons inside the old office, but they had to do what they could to get civilians out.

Landing a lucky break, the two managed to get two Slaisionnutties to crash into each other.

Kimberly: "Good thing these guys are still as stupid as regular Putties!"

Kim knew that MODM wouldn't leave her behind in the EccentriaVerse forever - or even for long. Still, she began wondering what was taking so long. Yeah, it was boring in there. But at the same time...it was very peaceful and quiet. Too quiet. Which left her vulnerable to the worst thing she now knew: her own mind.

Kim (thinking to self feverishly): "Laugh it up, Amanda! I know this is what you wanted! Hmm...the square root of...nope! That's not gonna work either. Shoot! Where's that sign, MODM? And please don't tell me it's the Bill Engvall kind; or I'll make you my bitch one day!"

A Sharpie pen arrived in her left hand out of nowhere, and she looked on the floor beneath her sink to see that her stuff had been returned to her from the evidence room. She began smiling seemingly from ear to ear, as the evidence handler at the Bozeman police station suddenly noticed that Kim's items were missing.

Det. Lionel Birch: "Guys, we got a problem!"

Marino: "Now what?"

Birch: "The stuff we took off that one girl that you recently put in here for mocking you, Marino?'

Marino: "Oh, gravy! You mean to tell me she magically vanished?"

Birch: "Well...her evidence bag did!"

Marino could barely hold back the blue streak at the tip of his tongue just screaming for a chance to fly out. He was half-convinced that girl would give him tourettes! He immediately informed the chief to place the city jail on lockdown. He raced for Kim's cell as fast as he could get there per protocol, and checked for her. All he found was a message, written in Sharpie pen on the wall.

Marino (screaming, trying very hard not to cuss): "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!"

Her four words said it all.

Volkonir and company were finding that even with their constant blows weakening Slaisionnach and Clownscavator, the powerhouses that were those two monsters simply didn't relent! And the Slaisionnutties had upped the ante by compromising the Twin Towers Facility near LA! As the bloodshed spread, it seemed like Slaisionnach was the only one who never got tired!

Ross: "Emo Rangers! All focus on Clownscavator now! We'll let the others handle those other guys!"

Stef: "Right! I can't wait to break his heart!"

As the Emo Rangers parted to deal with Clownscavator, the other Rangers found themselves taking quite the beating from the remaining Slaisionnutties. Billy and Tommy could barely manage to keep them away from killing more and more guards; while Jason and Zack attempted to protect inmates from what must have surely looked to them like a zombie apocalypse!

Slaisionnach managed at one point to isolate Kimberly, beating her savagely as she tried desperately to avoid his protruding-retracting super-fangs. He finally beat her into a de-morph, as she kneeled on the ground and panted, blood dripping out of her mouth.

Slaisionnach: "I now eat Pink Pajama Woma-!!!"

Volkonir: "NOT SO FAST!!!"

Alas, he could feel his armor getting weaker! Slaisionnach was simply too tough, and Vinny's efforts to protect the injured Kimberly were only leading to his Golden Lion suit contemplating retreat.

Volkonir: "I'm putting your bloodlust on a diet!!!"

Slaisionnach: "Knight is fool!!! I eat what want!!! And Knight almost dead!"

Alpha: "Twin Towers is a dangerous place, Kayla! And you'll have to drag Kimberly out of there manually before I can get a lock!"

Kayla: "I've survived Texas Federal Medical for over a year. I can survive Twin Towers for a few minutes. The team is losing. I hope MODM gets back soon. But you're gonna need me to do what I do best too."

MODM (suddenly appearing): "I've got just the solution for that! And you guys are gonna love it!"

Slaisionnach gained back some of his super mode, getting ready to go in for the kill as Volkonir weakened to the point of de-mogrification! But as he leapt into the air to pierce the Knight's throat with his retractable fang and deliver a boot blow to the head, an unexpected face flew in with the last thing any of them expected as her weapon of choice: Vinny's Biggby mug!!!

As if in slow motion, Vinny could see his mug shatter to dozens of small pieces upon making contact with Slaisionnach's fang, the fang also shattering into millions of pieces and Slaisionnach getting knocked backwards by Kim's own high-powered flying kick!

Slaisionnach (on ground, in agony, super mode gone): "Dirty ho!!!!!"

Kim: "Yeah!!! Covfefe, bitch!!!"

She pulled out her blaster, shooting Slaisionnach in the stump of his broken fang and inflicting more agony. The monster retreated down the staircase to recuperate from this blow, swearing revenge as he made his way to another part of the prison - near-decapitating anyone that got in his way.

Kim: "And don't ye come back, scurvy frog!!! Or you will be the one with missing thumbs!!! Yarrr!!!!"

Tommy (after having shown up late): "Aw man! Regardless, we gotta get Kim outta here, and get Vinny back on his feet!"

Billy: "What if we each give him a little bit of our remaining charge from this morph to boost his Golden Lion? And you lend him your Dragon Shield so he can heal faster?"

Tommy: "That might work! Let's give it a try!"

Vinny: "Will that even work?"

Billy: "Selshon and the Dragonzord are compatible, somehow. We proved that on Super LlamaDog. We have nothing to lose at this point."

Vinny: "All right. Kayla, you get Kimberly outta here. Billy, Tommy, I need a boost. The rest of you...forget the Slaisionnutties for now. This may seem asinine under normal circumstances, but we should arm the prisoners and let them duke it out with the Slaisionnutties."

Zack: "Oh wow! That's crazy all right!"

Kayla: "He's right. I remember the hall codes we used to have with each other at Texas Federal Medical for what to do if ISIS invaded or some other such thing. If the guards are all down, the prisoners take the fight to the invaders. That way, we'd either take control until the National Guard showed up, or die as heroes against a worse threat to society."

Jason (overhearing Kayla, also showing up late): "We can talk about your experiences with the Suicide Squad later, we gotta get moving!"

Tommy: "They dragged Clownscavator away somewhere else. They're on their own till we can regroup."

Zack: "All right then! Let's go Russian vampire hunting! Whooooo!!!"

*Note: Gwen Indot in Camelorum Adventures is an inmate at Camelorum whose powers include teleporting behind anyone who steals a quote from elsewhere. Before getting powers, Gwen wanted to be a copyright lawyer. She was locked up for setting a garage on fire by accident, and killing someone's pet ferret. She has the power to make ferrets explode by being near her.

The others scattered, while Tommy and Billy attempted to recharge Volkonir faster.

Tommy: "Oh man, I'm about the only one that shield looks better on than you!"

Vinny: "Good to know. This...surge! Yeah, I FEEL IT!!! That vampire's about to soak up the sun worse than Sheryl Crow!!!"

Billy: "Who?"

Tommy: "Doesn't matter. Time to save this city, with whatever energy these morphs have left!"

Billy: "Right!"

The three of them caught up with the others, with Volkonir tearing through the Slaisionnutties like they were made of Kleenex!

Volkonir: "This clay...is BAKED!!!"

Slaisionnach: "I recover, Knight! And you be dead!!!"

Volkonir: "There's only one way out of this mess, and that's with you dead! You should have left the PercoDome alone! Hanom would have had it mothballed for three months, and it might not have even sold after that! And then, Gwirmalesh could have sent someone competent after it! You have spies in there, don't you? Even those spies could have done a better job!"

Kim: "♫The hills are all dying! / With the sound / of dead goons! ♫/ RIGHTEOUS!!!!"

Trini (thinking out loud): "Psychopath!"

That's when MODM was suddenly struck with inspiration.

MODM: "Hey Billy, can you read me over comms?"

Billy: "What is it, MODM?"

MODM: "I just had an idea! Now that you're mostly drained would be a good time to temporarily swap places with your elseworld counterpart! Then, I can bring their Megazord here and end this!"

Billy: "You sure that will be necessary?"

MODM: "Never hurts to be prepared! Besides, I'm not afraid to escalate a battle once in a blue moon!"

Zordon 2017: "I don't like this."

MODM: "I'm bringing in the Mega Emo Fight Bot too!"

Zordon 1993: "MODM unfortunately has a point. We need to be ready in case Rita takes the logical next route. Slaisionnach is getting tired, and Rita's not about to risk not growing him."

Alpha 2017: "Yeah! Exception to every rule! I can get behind this exception, Zordon!"

Zordon 2017: "Well, it's technically in that universe, not ours. So...fine. Just this once. But we shouldn't make a habit of abusing loopholes in the Morphing Grid. The Power Coins won't like it.

MODM: "Consider it done! Ross! Prepare for the Emo Fight Bots to arrive!"

Ross: "Badass!"

Luke: "Yeah! Squash 'em while they're still tiny! I'm up for that!"

In seemingly the blink of an eye, MODM had Billy transferred to the Command Center to meet his counterpart.

Billy 2017: "Holy fu...dgcicles! Yeah, fudgcicles is fine!"

Billy 1993: "No worries. I'll keep watch over this place until you can get back. We need you to form the Megazord."

Billy 2017: "I-ah-awhl...I'll make you proud, me...no, other me! Man, this is weird!"

Billy 1993: "Welcome to being a Ranger."

Zordon 2017: "We most likely don't have much time. Every time you do this, MODM becomes less stable."

MODM: "Er...continent...no...that sounds even worse. Well, you know what he meant, kids! Off we go!"

Billy 2017: "Worse how?"

MODM: "Well...that depends, I guess. But...that's for later."

Billy began to sense there was a reason MODM wasn't being straightforward with him. There were friends to save, however; and that's what mattered.

Meanwhile, Kayla continued to keep propping up Kimberly as she tried to get the latter to that emergency exit. Red alert lights flashed all over, and the girls saw piles of dead bodies on the floors above them strewn into heaps.

Kimberly: "I hoped I would never have to see a day like this in my life! I'm gonna be sick!"

Kayla: "The buzzard killed my daughter. In front of me. For no reason. I punched him. He was a dirty fed. That was it. I wasn't that bad going in. If I didn't become someone better coming out, they didn't do a very good job."

Kimberly: "And now you're saving the multiverse."

Kayla: "Yeah. And yesterday, I was happy just to turn in a college assignment on time."

The girls were soon confronted by a loose inmate: Barbara Weston!

Barb: "Hey, you gals OMH or somethin'??? It's the apocalypse in here, and you 109.10'd the civvie wardrobe to escape? You pick doors wise, or you be backdoor paroled! And who fussed your guss, Valley Girl?"

Barb suddenly got really quiet. Who was this girl in the brown jacket, and why was she so fluent in local lingo without Barb having ever heard of her before? It didn't add up! However, Kayla reached into her pocket and handed the best peace offering she could - a pen.

Kayla: "The clay zombies are a-comin'! Hand this to your daughters, an' tell 'em to fashion! Better than nothing! Only ghosts here!"

Barb took the pen, and quickly headed back to her subservient gang members.

Kimberly: "You're awfully fluent in Prisonese! How long were you gone?"

Kayla: "A year and two months. Plus a few extra days with Hiktomoph taking me hostage. But that's technical. Let's get you back to the Command Center. Trust me, you wouldn't wanna be a fish here!"

Kimberly was unsure what that meant, but was pretty sure it wasn't good. The Command Center, or bust! It didn't take long after they got outdoors for Alpha's signal to find the girls, and they left the field to get Kimberly some medical treatment back at base.

The fight raged on for what seemed like an entire extra hour, with nearly everyone getting extremely tired. Volkonir gave Tommy his shield back, and he joined the Emo Rangers in hunting down Clownscavator. Volkonir and the other Rangers didn't think it would ever end, but the two Alphas helped them develop a means to track down every last Slasionnutty and defeat the last of them. With weapons drawn, they were ready to finally end the matter.

Jason: "It's over, Slaisionnach!"

Volkonir: "You know this can only end one way. You die. You rot in Hell. Everything else goes back to the way it was. Gwirmalesh can always try something else to take over the multiverse, if he's so bent on it. If you keep fighting us, even if you win; you have no future. Not here, not anywhere else!"

Slaisionnach: "Knight know nothing!!!"

Volkonir: "I know that you and the Percolation Wave are destabilized. And increasingly, so is everything else because of you. Either the instability of the fabrics will kill you, or we will. Pick your poison. You can surrender, and let me strike you down quickly. And save the lives of countless trillions! The heroic thing to do! Or, you can keep fighting, only to be killed anyway when this entire universe's fabric tears itself apart just to rid itself of you! It's like the good preacher Grinodos said: it's Boulders and Windows!* Even if you win, you lose! Knight defeats pawn! Checkmate!!!"

Slaisionnach: "You don't understand, Knight! I don't vahnt to be hero! I don't vahnt to die noble! I vahnt...TO KILL THINGS!!! ALL THE THINGS!!!"

Amazingly, her trick distracted Slaisionnach long enough for Trini to toss a dagger at his abdomen, which was only a minor setback.

The others quickly advanced the charge, working in smaller teams to take strikes. One of those strikes had to finally get the job done!

Notes:
* "Boulders and Windows" is a reference to Matthew 21:44, and was going to be the title of a book back in 2003, for a series that was eventually canceled.
** A reference to the "All the Things" meme.

Rita (from moon): "Oh, hockeystick NOOOOO!!!!! You will pay for this, MODM!!! If I have to cross a billion oceans of space-time, I will find you and make you pay for this! Grow, Slasionnach, GROOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!"

The wand did its magic, and Slaisionnach quickly grew giant-sized. He was loving every second of his massive self, even if it failed to heal all his wounds.

Slaisionnach: "Now, I tear off limbs!!!"‚Ä*

‚Ä* Note: A reference to Musaran's line in Ciem.

Jason: "Moment of truth, everyone!"

It took the Rangers a lot less time than before to form the Megazord, which terrified town residents noticed was a tiny bit larger than the Megazord they were accustomed to.

Zack: "He moves awful fast!"

Trini: "No kiddin'!"

Kim: "Price of tea in China no like you, mangy vodka!!!"

Billy: "Too fast! Too fast!!!"

Jason: "Hold it together, guys!"

Volkonir: "Hey, Tommy! I think it's time for some Golden Lion Dragonzord Power! What you say?"

Slaisionnach: "Tin cans, die!!!"

Tommy: "I'm with you, Vinny!"

It took very little time to summon the Dragonzord, which quickly transformed while Tommy and Vinny both tried to squeeze into the same cockpit.

Tommy: "I'm not used to having a copilot! It's a bit crowded in here."

Vinny: "Whatever. Let's just stop that thing!"

The two robots did what they could, but Slasionnach still proved difficult to take down.

With the PhVP pulling various stunts from above, and three robots attacking him from all around, Slaisionnach only continued to hang on for reasons of sheer stubbornness. But he knew his end was near. It was only a matter of time!

MODM: "Oh no! Oh no! Shoot!!!"

Time Capsule: "What's eatin', MODM?"

MODM: "Guys! Remember what I said about what might happen if I over-exert?"

Vicken: "Your suit will turn green?"

MODM: "Worse!"

Before him stood two girls that he was certain would be completely useless in the battle: Smug Wendy and Stephanie Meanswell!!!

Wendy: "This place could use some square burgers! Say...you're kinda cute!"

MODM (nervous): "Uhm...I...really prefer....Grillitan Diner?"

Wendy: "I can cure you of that misguided thought, you handsome little not-Wonka!"

Stef: "Oh, bugger off! There's only room for one Stephanie in this scenario!"

MODM: "She can't! Not until the monster's dead!"

Tommy: "I have an idea! Let's combine the Dragonzord with that other Megazord!"

Jason: "Will that even work?"

Vinny: "Only one way to find out!"

They tried, and inexplicably made the combination happen! The new Zord even combined the twin swords from the Pterodactyl into a giant version of Selshon!

Keet: "Let's cream him!!!"

The PhVP put their ship's blasters on full speed, while the new Zord teamed up with Mega Emo Fight Bot to deliver as many crushing blows as possible. Slaisionnach finally fell back down, swearing his final warning:

Volkonir: "Not as long as the Knights of Cortascius return to stop him!"

The PhVP's ship changed songs to "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys, as the various machines, Knights, Peacekeepers, and Rangers delivered one after another blow. They finally stepped or flew back, as the abomination finally fell over for the last time and met his demise.

The massive blast almost looked like it was going to go nuclear, leading to a sudden bout of fear from all the heroes! What had they done???

As the dust settled, the citizens of Angel Grove were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. The majority of the blast of what used to be Slaisionnach went airburst, rather than surface blast. The heat was intense, but actual radiation levels were negligible. MODM, Vinny, and Kayla found themselves in the other Angel Grove. Jason, Zack, and Trini; however; were simply thankful to be back where they belonged.

Billy: "Jason! What happened?"

Jason: "It was the weirdest thing, guys! But I'm sure glad that weird Samurai character was there. Whatever that thing was I fought, I have never faced anything that tough before in my life!"

Kimberly: "Oh, Jason! Slaisionnach put you in the hospital? He almost killed me too!"

Tommy: "We all had a close call or two. Makes me glad that Volkonir pulled through."

Zack: "Aw, man! I had to miss out on the fun!"

Kimberly: "Trini? What happened to you?"

Trini: "It was...so horrible! We showed up out of nowhere, uncontrollably, and these mean officers just arrested us on the spot for seemingly no reason!"

Billy: "Percolation events can be quite terrifying to those not accustomed to the idea. No doubt, you probably intimidated the locals just by being there. Not everyone lives in a world where the Rangers are a thing."

Alpha: "Ay yi yi!!! Zack, Trini! Hanom was trying so hard to get you out of prison! It seems he succeeded! Are you hurt?"

Zack: "Only our pride."

Tommy: "It was brief; but I missed you guys anyway."

Trini: "And...what of Hanom? And the other Trini? And Vicken? And MODM?"

Zack: "I hope it's a while before we have to see that MODM fellow again! Causes almost as much trouble as he fixes!"

Zordon: "Zack is not wrong. MODM has promised to visit here as seldom as possible, for that very reason. He regrets the harm he has caused; but is unable to remedy his glitches on his own. I am extremely thankful, to Whomever would allow a being like MODM to exist in any universe in any context, that at least you were returned home safely. This universe of ours is big enough on its own. And its Earth needs its own Rangers to protect it."

Jason: "I second that. And I have to agree with Trini...being here is better for us than anywhere in that EccentriaVerse!"

Zordon: "Indeed. Kayla and Vinny need to return home to it. That world will get better in time; but it is their cross to bear. Not yours. I am also grateful for the Golden Lion Knight and his paramour. They came through when we needed them most, and were courageous heroes to our world when they didn't need to be."

Trini: "Vanna! My former cellmate has figured out who those two are! She told me all about it!"

Zordon: "Then they have a very difficult road ahead. We must wish them well. But they must travel it without us."

Kimberly: "You seem really upset, Trini. Way more so than the other one ever was. What's up?"

Trini: "I'm...just thinking how glad I'll be to finally act like this adventure never happened! I've never been so embarrassed!"

Kimberly: "Hey...own it! Kayla had the courage to own her past experiences. Not all of it was her fault, but she stayed true to her calling in spite the setbacks. She took responsibility for what was her fault, and translated it to her bravery. She did some amazing things in her brief time here. And she showed me that we can all come back from some horrible experiences, stronger and smarter. One day, some troubled youth may be able to benefit from you sharing your experience.

I got to see firsthand during the battle what happens to those who give up on themselves too soon. No matter what happens, don't let that ever be you."

Zack: "I'll second that."

Tommy: "Now that we can all go home, I'm just hoping that the others all made it back safely. I really enjoyed working with Fai; so I hope the Emo Rangers made it home safely too."

Zordon: "We may yet hear from them again. It is difficult to know that for certain. However, I am grateful for them too. Wherever they are."

Back in Crossover Gerosha, the Phaemer Village Peacekeepers made it safely back to their village.

Time Capsule: "That Possum chick had some real coolio 'tude, y'all! So...what'll we do now?"

Back in Gwirmalesh's lair, the Gwirdon Elites pontificated on what their next move should be.

Gwirmalesh: "Mogabir! What is the status on Slaughterquinn???"

Mogabir: "He is slowly adapting to this time. He will need more work; but should prove lethal - right in time for the Knight to return home."

Gwirmalesh: "And fortunately, we now have time!"

Hiktomoph: "Sire! Sources tell me that the Power Rangers are nowhere to be found at Gallatin County Jail. Do you suppose they escaped?"

Gwirmalesh: "Not in the traditional sense, Hiktomoph. They are far too noble to break laws casually. They had to be Percolated out! Which, given the energy readings on Zack and Trini, suggests..."

Hiktomoph: "That Slaisionnach is dead?'

Gwirmalesh: "Yes! And I have never been so happy to see Volkonir win! Not even when he killed Marzwhatti for us, have I been this delighted! I almost considered pardoning Morlikus and setting him free. Almost! But Volkonir has committed far too many other crimes against progress for me to simply ignore!"

Mogabir: "Indeed, sire, a wise assessment. And for what we did to their kingdom, the Cortascians will never forgive us."

Gwirmalesh: "Besides kissing my feet, do you have anything else to contribute, either of you?"

Hiktomoph: "Bad news, I'm afraid."

Gwirmalesh: "Now what? Did Mudo get outed?"

Hiktomoph: "Worse. Ezhnelli...has returned. I don't even know how she has lived this long, but she's back!"

Gwirmalesh: "Nooooo!!!! Curses!!! That Lirquinwur is even crazier and more murderous than her brother! She will no doubt wish to avenge him!"

Hiktomoph: "Shall I give the troops the order to remain on standby? We cannot go soft on the prince by aiding him; but it would be foolish of us to attack Ezhnelli. As much as I hoped Volkonir and Marzhwatti would finish each other off; I believe hoping once more for lighting to strike would be our best strategy right now."

Gwirmalesh (perturbed): "So be it!!! We cannot risk our next chance to conquer the multiverse being foiled by a single Lirquinwur! Slaisionnach's foolishness, has cost us dearly!"

Mogabir: "And worse: MODM is now an even more dangerous enemy than Volkonir!"

Gwirmalesh: "Undoubtedly! Once the Golden Lion Knight is rendered no longer a threat; we will have to turn our attention to this MODM fellow! Friend or foe, he may be our last hope for greatness! We must harness his potential - by force if needs be!"

Vinny, Kayla, MODM, and the remaining Rangers arrived in said Rangers' world. It was quiet at night, with most of the tent community fast asleep.

MODM: "Before we all go home, I would like to treat you Rangers to something special for all your help...er...tomorrow. After I've coasted through the Wave enough times to de-strain."

Jason: "We appreciate all the help. We'd better try to get back home."

Vinny: "How will we find lodging?"

Zack: "It's crowded, but you and Kayla can stay with me! I even have some Choco Tacos in the freezer; help yourselves!"

MODM: "You all should try to become less conspicuous. I gotta go! Namely, to track down that hot Wendy-Chan!"

Just like that, MODM vanished. The town devastation nearby contrasted greatly with how peaceful all the camps were - along with the Angel Grove night sky. For Kayla, the only thing more ironically romantic than a tent community in a California fishing town not far from a war zone; was her own apartment back in Bozeman.

Vinny: "And Kim?"

Kim: "Possums love ceramic! And covfefe!!! Deal!"

Jason: "I'll get her a good therapist, guys; promise!"

Trini (de-morphing and blowing kiss at Zack): "I know. And you keep an eye on them, crazy guy!"

Trini leapt away ahead of the others. This time, Zack didn't bother to give pursuit. There was no need. He already knew she'd be back - whether for him, or for just the celebration MODM was planning. It didn't matter. She was warming up to him finally, and that's what mattered.

Kayla: "No shawarma tomorrow."

Billy: "No. Of course not."

Vinny briefly looked at Kayla after de-mogrifying. They both heard Zack mention the Choco Tacos, and weren't sure which one of them was more embarrassed by the coincidence.

Vinny: "Third base, maybe?"

Kayla (winking): "That...I can get behind!"

It was morning, and time for Kim to buy Vinny a new Biggby mug. She was actually quite pumped about it, because MODM had promised them a trip to Big Rapids...which meant she could tape a note to the window of the local barber shop and tell them they were ding-dongs. Nobody wanted to ask why she would think such a thing was necessary; but decided to go along with it.

Afterward, they all met up with MODM at a place he and Jason had agreed was the best place in town for them to meet up at: Mancino's Pizza and Grinders.

MODM: "Vinny! You made it back! Is our Awesome Possum wanted for vandalism yet?"

Vinny: "Nobody saw. Not that I care. Those jerks are exactly the same as the jerks that threw me in a trash can and got bubblegum on my fuzz back when I was trapped in that toy. If Kim being dumb with an 8-1/2 x 11 is gonna send them crawling to their safe space; I have bigger things to worry about."

Trini (snarking): "And...Dr. Machino and gang just filed class-action for all the Preparation H they need. Gwen's gonna get me in my sleep."

MODM: "Not likely. She's not usually a fighter."*

Vinny: "I'm just happy to have my coffee mug back. That Biggby looked virtually identical to the one in my world. How weird!"

Kim: "And a good thing we're here now! I'm so hungry, I could eat reptile food!"

Billy: "I don't think they were expecting this many of us at once."

Zack: "Hey, it's cool, man!"

Jason: "So...why are we in this universe, and not visiting Vinny's, if the goal was to buy a coffee mug?"

MODM: "Because Kim smashed the other one. And because her checking account doesn't exist in his world. That, and you'd all be wanted fugitives there."

Trini: "Aren't we under suspicion here too?"

MODM: "That's different...somehow. It's...complicated. And here, it has to be Kim, because Vinny's checking account doesn't exist here. Multiversal money counting gets mistaken for counterfeiting easily. See, that's how you make a lot of enemies really fast."

Kayla: "When I go world-hopping, I don't usually think about the Federal Reserve."

MODM: "Nobody does. Nobody ever jumps worlds when all they have is a debit card. That's why they need me, to teach them smart financing."

Jason: "I...don't think you're professor material, no offense."

MODM: "No worries, chap!"

Billy: "Thing I don't get is...why is Big Rapids so special?"

MODM: "There's a simple explanation for that, trust me! You see, if it weren't for the destruction of Boston in 2015 in the Gerosha universes, leading to the 2018 takeover of America by Halal Affadidah, then those worlds' Big Rapids towns would be exactly the same as this one. And Vinny's. And mine. Big Rapids would otherwise be the exact same town in every 'verse that has one! It's practically a multiversal singularity! Pre-2018, every Big Rapids is exactly the same!"

Vinny: "Except for bank accounts."

MODM: "Precisely!"

Vinny: "Well, then before we go home, maybe I can give our new friends the grand tour of my adventures? It's not like we're gonna run into any version of Cassie Helm again."

Zack: "I Gotta Grab a Grinder** first, guys; but I'm game after that."

Trini: "I dunno. Those DPS officers were giving us funny looks a few blocks back."

MODM: "Just don't jaywalk, and they won't have any grounds. And if that fails, you've got me. I mean, it's not like you're parking crooked or anything. Oh, you'd end up in a bankruptcy barrel otherwise stark naked, how they'd fleece you for that!***"

Kayla: "I'm all for it. Let's go!"

She knew better than to mention the purple pipe Cassie threw Vinny at to send him to the Pool of Healing and erase the toy spell. She'd made her love of...pipes a little too obvious recently, and feared saying something would lead to Billy embarrassing himself while questioning her. She'd been a bad girl indeed; and needed to make an effort to clean herself up. There were kids watching now.

* Gwen Indot from Camelorum Adventures, upon first being abducted by the Percolation Wave, was described by Candace as "not a fighter." This caused her cellmate, Anita Hallot, to worry for her safety. Gwen winds up in a dangerous alt-verse, but is rescued by Rutherford B. Hayes riding a saber toothed tiger. She later finds herself in a parody of Orange is the New Black, where the Mitchfeller girls have difficulty believing she blew up a ferret. About the only thing that can enrage Gwen is someone stealing a quote in front of her. Trini only knows about all this because of MODM.

** "Gotta Grab a Grinder" is a slogan created for Mancino's of Big Rapids for a TV ad in January of 2010. Information about the ad is available on the Dozerfleet Database.

*** Parking enforcement at Ferris State University has a notorious reputation for enforcing perfectionist parking, often ticketing students who are well within lines but just 10 degrees off from perfectly parallel with the lines. Many students in 2006 learned the hard way that the city just wants their money, and doesn't care. So fighting the tickets is a waste of time. They complained about this on a Ferris-themed Facebook page back then.

After a day of festivities, the Rangers needed to return to Angel Grove. They were going to miss having their new friends around. However, they needed to stabilize their universe - and the greater multiverse. And that meant things going back to the way they were before. Besides...Zordon needed to guide them on what was coming next. And there was plenty on the way. Now that word had reached the stars of Rita's defeat, what was to stop worse things from arriving?

Zordon: "You're back! That's a good thing. Alpha has some news for you."

Billy: "Oh, oh! Is it about MODM again? A cure for Kim?"

Kim: "Balrog slaps! Scurvy penguin hat fidget spinner!"

Jason: "I'm gonna need to have her committed, I think."

Zordon: "We're still working on that angle. But until then; Alpha will explain."

Alpha: "It's this stupid Melanie. She is obsessed with learning how the Morphing Grid works, and wants to establish a hotline to let you know when the government wants you to help."

Billy: "But Jason said we don't work for-"

Alpha: "To pacify them, more than anything, play along as long as it serves both our interests and hers. There's some radical faction splintering off of APEX. They call themselves the Silver Guardians. They aren't gonna wait for the government to make its own Rangers, and they don't trust you guys either. She's only keeping them at bay for now, on the pretense that you'll cooperate."

Jason: "Trying to Sokovia Accord us into her knockoff Suicide Squad with slow bait? Sneaky woman!"

Kim: "I think I'd look cool with a Harley wig! And Trini could be Katana! Swish!!!"

Zack: "Yeah...but...I'm not claiming Boomerang."

Trini: "Noooo...comment."

Alpha: "Just for now, we play along. Keep the heat down. I've developed some special comms to fit into your suits, based on the tech MODM shared. It gives her a hotline to you."

Jason: "Uh...sweet?"

It was not too long afterward, that a crisis did occur.

Jason: "Okay, guys. She's about to give us the infodump. Whatever you do, be mindful of the Ranger guidelines, and be wary of her trying to game us. She wants to know our identities, to gain leverage on us. Try not to give her anything."

Zack: "I'm a lotus of nothing."

Jason: "I'll believe that when I don't hear it."

Melanie Sheer (over comms): "Hi, Rangers! Mmmm...."

Jason: "Yeah, could you get to the point, and not be creepy about it?"

Melanie: "Nervous about advances? Interesting. Anyway, we've got another one of your friends from space terrorizing Albuquerque, and he's not named Walter White."

Jason: "How did you? Know what, never mind! Are we done playing Guess Who with Spokeo? I think this is a serious situation!"

Melanie: "Instant Checkmate, actually. But thanks for the suggestion."

Jason: "Moldy spit!"

Melanie: "The Goldar thing appears to be getting weaker, and so is Pudgy Pig as a result; so I don't think you'll need your city-wrecking toys. But do try to avoid harming those misguided Guardians. They might shoot at you though. So...they'll be really annoying."

Trini (thinking out loud): "Pot, meet kettle!"

Zack: "I'm not claiming Boomerang!"

Melanie (tauntingly): "Relax, Black Ranger. You're so silly, you're more of a...Croc! By the way...if you are so concerned about your silly identities, I think it's only fair warning that the Angel Grove High detention room is going to be bugged for the foreseeable future. If anyone outside your group even sneezes that they have you all figured out...I own you. Where else am I going to find a gang of delinquents to do my bidding? Over and out!"

Jason: "I really hate that woman!"

Billy: "Agreed. Let's go make this porker a lean chop though, right?"

Trini: "Couldn't agree more."

Zack: "Croc? I'm not reptilian!"

Kim: "That's not what the pizza said! ♫ What does / the pizza say!? ♫"

The adventure had dragged on for way too long. An exhausted Vinny and Kayla finally made it back home. And, while risking temptation to give in all the way, they resisted only by virtue of being too tired. Vinny normally would have insisted upon returning to his own apartment; but fell asleep in Kayla's arms instead. She dared not take advantage of him in that moment beyond what she already had, realizing how important he was to her as a fellow human being. As a fellow Cortascian royal to be. As a fellow child of God. Still...she knew it wouldn't look good. Neighbors might spread rumors. On the other hand, she did have a felony record. Everyone just assumed she was a bad girl anyway, right?

Falling asleep a little early, the couple awoke around 5:30 AM. Some passionate making out later, and they realized that their friends from work would most likely pay a visit. Their work hours were fluid, and Hanom didn't need the elite team right that second. There'd be some obvious desire to want to hear more about the adventure from those who didn't get to be Percolated through. A shared shower lasting about 45 minutes later, and the two of them were on their way to Vinny's apartment to accommodate guests.

Vinny fired up the grill. After all: Team Volkonir enjoyed few moments as grand as the peace of all sitting on Vinny's balcony together and eating grilled food as nature surrounded them.

Vanessa: "Hey, messy hair! Got here as soon as I could! Sleep well?"

Kayla: "I see your cynicism is intact, per usual. And a tad hypocritical?"

Vanessa: "Carlos is ecstatic. He's even talking about growing a daddy mustache. But...I told him it will take another two weeks at least before I can take a test and be sure. As for the cynicism...be lucky we didn't attend the same middle school."

Kayla: "I was abducted in middle school. Doubt you can top that."

Vanessa: "Tomorrow should be a fun day at the office. Hanom wants me to bury the story of Jason's hospital stay, before it becomes a media circus. He told me not to worry about paying for it though. He's got that handled."

Kayla: "Sure is a good thing the multiversal barrier is shielding us. Inventing something that can do all that to another universe? I'd hate to be a part of that class-action lawsuit!"

Vanessa: "Yes, I suppose we have dodged a few bullets recently for the sake of Team Volkonir. I'm just thinking...you seem to be in a real hurry to become Queen Kayla of Cortascius."

Kayla: "Some diplomatic immunity in that, if I become a princess by reason of marriage to Vinny. And we're all gonna need royal diplomatic immunity pretty soon."

Vanessa: "How do you figure?"

Kayla: "How do you not? Hanom is critical to our success, but no longer to that of HanomCorp. His loyalty to Cortascius will become a liability after the merger with Sorisenshi is complete. They'll need to make him the outsource to the Mighty Kingdom, once it's restored, just to keep him out of trouble."

Vanessa: "So, some of will have to get other jobs? It's not like I've been at this one my whole life."

Kayla: "No, but me being Vinny's queen...about the only woman he respects more is his old mentor, Silnya Semaphry - wherever she is now. She was like a surrogate mother to him, especially following the death of his biological one. She basically adopted him, since Morlikus was too busy for the prince. And I'm about the only woman he would go to greater lengths for than her. And look at it this way: moving to Cortascius would also protect us from Hoshijo."

Vanessa: "The creep whose nose you broke that got you sent to prison?"

Kayla: "He's Hanom's adversary too. And he's got ties to both Hiktomoph and the Feds."

Vanessa: "Not sure I follow."

Kayla (sighing): "My love's real name is Prince Volkonir Moroti, of Mighty Cortascius. 'Vinny Amadeus Mason' is a complete fiction, one that Hanom helped craft to help our friend hide! All the immigration papers, et. al., it's more fake than Obama's birth certificate!"

Vanessa: "You think Hoshijo will get wise?"

Kayla: "Don't fool yourself. You're covering for Hanom too. And the Golden Lion Knight can't avoid being seen as much as he'd like to. Which means we have a trail of breadcrumbs for the enemy to follow. Vinny's an illegal alien; I'm an ex-con aiding an illusion, making me an accessory. Hanom's also an accessory, guilty of forgery in Vinny's case; and you're covering for his antics, so that's a count of obstruction. Carlos' mother is what she is, and they'll come for you to get to him to use him to get to her. And our inventions cause as many problems as they fix. We're all criminals; Vanessa. We've just been super lucky."

Vanessa: "In other words, it's only a matter of time before you have to either become a queen or go back to jail?"

Kayla: "Afraid so. As a royal, I can protect all of us! As just a covert pretending to be a regular HanomCorp employee? I can't protect anyone, not even myself! I love this life we have now. You, me, Vinny, Carlos, Hanom. It's simple. College. Fight Gwirmalesh's monsters. Try not to let anyone but the Treaders get killed. Avoid the government finding out what we're really doing. But it can't last. This isn't who we're meant to always be. And we can only live this lie for so long. I still don't know what happened to my father either."

Vanessa: "You know you can't keep what you have; and have an interesting mental strategy to avoid becoming too attached."

Kayla: "Vinny and I will always be attached now. But you're right about the rest."

Vanessa: "Eat, drink, and be merry then, I say. For if we fail our mission, we can at least hope to share a cell together."

Kayla: "Amen. I'll drink to that."

Vanessa: "A toast then. To royalty...or recidivism."

Masato: "For a celebration, those two hens sure are into doom and gloom."

Vinny: "Just trying to stay sober. They're right, you know. We've never had it so good as we do right at this very moment. And I am speaking from over 400 years of experience."

Masato: "Very true. And if you do make it home to Cortascius, I fear that means the whole Earth will need the Spectral Hare Samurai to step up."

Vinny: "We will have other Weavers. If the Knights of Cortascius are too busy defending Cortascius, we can always Weave some Scouts into the Tapestry to defend our Earth interests."

Masato: "Sort of like...our own Rangers?"

Vinny: "If we have to."

Masato: "I hope you can make a lot of them. The Gwirdon Elites in Tokyo are questioning their continued loyalty to the cause of Gwirmalesh. They are content to settle for the Tokyo underworld. Which means they will seek to make their own monsters, without his regard. They will make new ones, tired of his failed stock. The failures in Bozeman have done nothing to convince them otherwise. I yearn for good food in Tokyo again; but I realize I will have my hands full when I return."

Vinny: "We all will. It would be my sincerest hope to find a way to get my father's trinket back from Gwirmalesh somehow. With it, he can track down Silnya - or what's left of her. Kayla would be an awesome Crystal Swan Knight, if Silnya is no longer up for it. And Carlos a great Red Serpent Knight. And in time, maybe we can find a new Silver Ferret as well. I'm aware the Golden Lion cannot do everything - not for long. Thus is the bitter-sweetness of our moment here...one of borrowed time."

Masato: "Speaking of Gwirdons...I do believe that's some over there right now, looking for trouble!"

Vinny (looking over where Masato is gazing): "Well! Son of a-!"

Side note: For best results with this scene up until the ending, play "City of Sunshine" by David Malinich.

A small group of Treaders gathered in the distance, menacing the nearby road and terrorizing truck drivers in particular.

Hanom (on phone): "Vinny? Masato? Yeah...one of the trucks on that highway near your apartment building has a device in it that can use the Tapestry to create a soldier with virtually unlimited arsenal. Essentially a hammerspace weapons vault turning real soldiers into versatile real-life video game heroes."

Carlos: "Aw, man!"

Vanessa: "What do you need me to do, boss?"

Hanom: "Stand by for now. I'll call you if anything urgent happens, Vanessa."

Kayla: "Vinny, Masato...you two know what to do! Carlos and I will catch up."

Vinny: "Right. Golden Lion, Cortascius Defend!!!"

Masato: "Gōsutousagi, Cortascius o mamorou!"

Carlos ran back to his apartment as fast as he could, as did Kayla hers. They knew the drill as well: switch into patrol outfits as fast as humanly possible, program their transporters, and head to their designations ASAP. Vinny and Masato activated their respective motorcycles, and arrived on the scene to chase the Treaders off. They followed a few of them down a trail, where the Treaders scattered.

Carlos: "I've secured the device."

Hanom: "Good. You and Kayla get it back to me as soon as you can. Vinny, Masato, keep scouting the area. I find it troubling that Hiktomoph hasn't shown himself yet."

Milly Bays: "Hi, everyone! Milly Bays here for Power Ranger Suits! You know you want 'em for your Halloween! And now you can get them, absolutely free! Only some assembly required! Are you tired of your digital dolls not being able to dress up like the Rangers? Well, I'm about to solve all your cosplay worries on that with this special offer!

Comes in all five typically-featured colors, plus a theoretical Green Ranger! You're not likely gonna top this offer anywhere else for this format! All it takes, is to download the suits after following instructions, download the custom helmet mesh, download the helmet maps, and follow the instructions to apply the custom wraps in Sims 4 Studio! Bam! Never worry about a Ranger-free game again!

It's one of the best things you will ever find on DeviantArt!"

Milly Bays: "But I'm not done yet! Follow this other link, and you can also dress up as the Emo Rangers, at no extra cost! * Visit DeviantArt, or DzMD, and these costumes can be all yours!"

* Files linked on DeviantArt. Hosted on MediaFire. Use your own discretion. "Free" cost does not include the cost of any required expansion packs, which have to be purchased through EA and Origin.

Anita: "Well, unless the square patties transform into giraffe! Then, about your only customer would be Wanda. And...well, we don't need that."

Gwen: "Or ferret. The outside world already has me mistaken for a terrorist; why add fuel to the fire?‚Ä* We'd have to find Carly a new facility, and this place wouldn't quite have the same spirit. She doesn't react with Grillitan Diner meat, and that makes everyone safer."

Wendy: "You must have a clown fetish, Marylin. Round, frozen burgers are so last century!"

‚Ä*Note: Gwen's power is she makes ferrets explode. She can't control it. She's in jail for blowing up a garage by accident. And killing a pet ferret along the way.
===================================================================

Luke: "Guys! I'm in a bit of trouble here! The Hoodies are after Stephanie!"

Captain Emohead: "It's gonna take a while, Luke! Fai just Percolated to the Cherinob universe and got arrested for underage smoking by Detective Hallower! And Ross ate too many donuts and is feeling sick! John's taking an exam, and Stef's got the flu. I'm gonna try to contact Vicken if I can."

============================================Power Rangers film and series belong to Saban. Volkonir and related belong to Dozerfleet Comics. Mighty Moshin' Emo Rangers belongs to Chris Phillips and Nick Pittom. LazyTown belongs to Magn√ļs Scheving. All others belong to their respective rights holders.

This fanfic was written for fun. Events involving characters from any version of Power Rangers should not be construed as canon to anything Rangerverse-related. Only parts of this story may be construed as canon to Eccentriaverse, Crossover Gerosha, or Dromedeverse canon - but not everything. Due to legal reasons. This story is not canon to Emo Rangers continuity either, though they are okay with it.

No products given placement were paid endorsements, and were included mostly for humorous purposes, including in-jokes.

You can learn more about Volkonir, Camelorum Adventures, and other projects by visiting Dozerfleet Database. This project can be studied in more detail on the Database here.

You can learn more about the history of Mighty Moshin' Emo Rangers from visiting Emo Rangers Wiki.

You can learn more about Power Rangers and Super Sentai from visiting RangerWiki.

This scene was originally going to be used for when Hanom attempts to contact MODM. It was ruled too uncomfortable an angle, and the lighting didn't quite work out.

This image was drafted before it was decided that Trini should get her pep talk from her counterpart. Vanessa originally was going to be the one giving the pep talk. However, this was ruled to be too boring. Also, the composition of this shot felt too much like the "60 Hours In" shot made for Camelorum Adventures back in 2016. The original joke here was Trini Kwan meets Vanessa Kwan - a character obviously named after her.

To accompany Vanessa interviewing Trini, this shot was made of Hanom interviewing Zack. The results looked even less impressive, and also sucked all the drama out of the story. Hence the removal.

This early shot was used for Vicken's Weeping Tears Ranger suit, before the actual mods were made.

At one point, it was considered a possibility that this scene could happen, meeting up all the Emo Rangers and film Power Rangers at the hospital in Bozeman. However, it was cut out for the sake of pacing. Due to how the game's controls work, only Vicken was able to show up here as an Emo Ranger representative. And that didn't mesh well with the intended story being told either.

Before it was decided Jason would be in the hospital, there was some debate as to how serious his injury from Slaisionnach would really be. This scene was shot with the idea that he could possibly be staying at Carlos' apartment and recovering. However, that threw off the story's pacing, so it was cut out and replaced with him being hospitalized instead.

These ducks were too cool to not take a picture of. It's unclear if anything was supposed to ever happen out of this pond or not. However, it made a nice picture anyway.